FW: Pacific Wild Salmon Policy Draft Implementation Plan - Public Consultation

High Time

Crew Member
Just received from DFO. Lots of words,not much action....

Pacific Wild Salmon Policy Draft Implementation Plan



Please join Fisheries and Oceans Canada for an open house on the initial draft 2018-2022 Wild Salmon Policy Implementation Plan – for Consultation: drop-in anytime between 6:30 and 8:30 pm


November 20 – Port Alberni, Tseshaht Administration Building, 6:30 – 8:30 pm


In 2005, Canada’s Policy for Conservation of Wild Pacific Salmon, commonly referred to as the Wild Salmon Policy or WSP, was released with the goal to restore and maintain healthy and diverse Pacific salmon populations and their habitats for the benefit and enjoyment of the people of Canada in perpetuity.

Important WSP-related work has been undertaken since the Wild Salmon Policy was released, however, DFO’s wild salmon-related activities have not been recorded in one place, nor has there been a commitment to annual reporting on progress towards the WSP goal. Informed by the recommendations from the 2011 Gardner Pinfold review and the 2012 Cohen Commission that an implementation plan would make the WSP more effective, the Department is currently collaborating and consulting on developing a draft five year WSP implementation plan. The Department also recognizes that the goal of the WSP cannot be achieved by DFO alone, and that success depends on working in coordination and collaboration with others.

This open house is designed to allow to participants to drop-in anytime between 6:30 and 8:30 pm to learn and provide feedback and comments.

You will have the opportunity to:

1. Learn about the work that Fisheries and Oceans will undertake over the next five years to implement the Wild Salmon Policy.

2. Provide feedback on the accuracy and clarity of the draft Wild Salmon Policy implementation plan.

3. Provide information about potential opportunities for collaboration and perspectives on priority salmon conservation work moving forward.


For more information on the fall consultations go to http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/consultation/wsp-pss/index-eng.html.

If you have any questions or feedback or would like a copy of the WSP implementation plan, please email WildSalmonPolicy@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
 
Please attend if you can--- ask SPECIFICS about what is being proposed. Is DFO just going to ignore the obvious? ... More "studies' instead of ACTION items.. How much money has been promised ? I honestly feel , because of feedback from previous Wild Salmon Consultations .. that DFO is just spinning its wheels and that they really dont have a plan that means much to our salmon. ( and God forbid that anyone might question salmon farming in open net cages )
 
Ask for a balanced approach...wild / hatchery programs...and attend... this is your opportunity to have your two bits heard.. if you believe farm fish have impacts ect...
 
Was going to come out and say, "hey the circus is coming to town" but Cuba Libre's post is a much better one.
Must be getting cynical in my old age..
Seen many of these plans. Haven't seen many implemented.
 
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The WSP must also look at ensuring a diverse approach to salmon recovery, which should include broad responses such as predator control, ensuring protection of high value food sources in inshore waters (crab larvae), habitat enhancement, hatchery augmentation.
 
Please attend if you can--- ask SPECIFICS about what is being proposed. Is DFO just going to ignore the obvious? ... More "studies' instead of ACTION items.. How much money has been promised ? I honestly feel , because of feedback from previous Wild Salmon Consultations .. that DFO is just spinning its wheels and that they really dont have a plan that means much to our salmon. ( and God forbid that anyone might question salmon farming in open net cages )
I just skimmed through the document and saw lots of references to More Studies and Consultation over the next 5 years. I will read it in more detail but my sense is they did not watch the recently referenced W5 episode on fish farming...
 
First off, kudos to DFO (with all their warts) for at least hosting these open houses for the public to voice opinions. It wasn't too long ago that this sort of public outreach would have been unthinkable. Now, what they do with the info, etc is still up for debate but I did attend the Vancouver open house a few days ago and must say I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of those who turned out (rec, FN, commercial, etc) and by the DFO and other facilitators for their attendance and access. The WSP should have been implemented a long time ago but there are many reasons that it was not and has not been implemented to this day. IMO, the main reason for lack of implementation is the corporate influence in our political system. Getting big corporate and union donations out of campaigns is a good start as this is the root cause of most all of our world's major issues. BC's current less than ideal wild salmon situation is just another example of what happens when big donors buy politicians.

The Wild Salmon Policy places the CONSERVATION of wild pacific salmon first and foremost. Had we implemented this policy decades ago our wild salmon populations would be in much better shape than they are now. We would also have a lot less fighting between the many stakeholders who depend on wild salmon. I hope that everyone with an interest in the long-term sustainability of wild salmon attends these open houses and makes their voice heard. Encourage your politicians, friends, colleagues to get this thing fully implemented ASAP
 

Attachments

  • 1. DRAFT_2018-2022_WSP_Implementation_Plan_FOR CONSULTATIONS_FINAL.pdf
    1.4 MB · Views: 11
Is that the only date/location on the island. Unfortunately I already have a commitment on that date

Thx scott
 
Ski
I just skimmed through the document and saw lots of references to More Studies and Consultation over the next 5 years. I will read it in more detail but my sense is they did not watch the recently referenced W5 episode on fish farming...

Skimmed through it myself and saw very, very little reference to open net pen fish farming aquaculture. (one paragraph in 59 pages) No reference whatsoever that these farms may be causing damage. (which they obviously are.)
There is a mention of the farms being managed sustainably... but for whom? the wild salmon or the farms themselves? looks to me like they are trying to ensure the farms are sustainable for themselves rather than having any regard whatsoever for our wild salmon or the environment..

from the draft...
"Pacific Aquaculture Regulations (2010) – The Department has assumed primary
responsibility for the management and regulation of BC aquaculture. Regulations were
adopted under the Fisheries Act to ensure that the aquaculture industry operates in a
sustainable manner
. These include requirements for the treatment of fish for disease and
parasites, deposition of organic matter, environmental monitoring, and public reporting.
DFO fishery officers and fish health staff, who are designated fishery guardians, have the
authority under section 49 of the Fisheries Act to collect fish samples from salmon farms
during facility inspections and audits. In addition to samples provided by industry, DFO
fish health staff collects their own samples to maintain integrity of the specimen for
research and audits. DFO also participates in research projects, such as the Strategic
Salmon Health Initiative, where samples are collected under agreements with farm
operators."


I see where they reference climate change, habitat destruction as causes but not one mention about open net pen fish farms causing problems for the wild salmon.

from the draft...
"1.3. Pressures on Salmon and Habitat
Wild salmon complete their life history over a range of freshwater and marine habitats, such as
rivers, lakes, nearshore coastal areas and open ocean. The amount of space occupied and time
spent in each of the habitats varies by the different salmon CUs. By consequence, there are
differences in the level of impact to CUs from natural and human-induced changes to these
habitats (e.g., drought, flood, forest cover removal, climate change). Furthermore, salmon CUs
face cumulative impacts across the range of habitats throughout their life history."


Saw a reference to the precautionary approach and its meaning (page 7) and could only shake my head in disbelief. In what way is the precautionary approach been implemented in regard to fish farms?
We seem to be fed a steady stream of lip-service and very little implementation or action if any.


from the draft...
"The Precautionary approach
is about being cautious when
scientific knowledge is
uncertain, and not using the
absence of scientific
information as a reason to
postpone or fail to take action to
avoid serious harm to fish
stocks or their ecosystem."


The conflict of interest and cozy relationship between DFO and the ff industry is sickening (literally) imo.
 
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I believe you can put into the comment section that u wish them to be removed or however u feel about them..
 
The only other remaining meeting in Southern B.C. is:
November 16, 2017 British Columbia Chilliwack Wild Salmon Policy Implementation Plan Public Open House Tzeachten Community Center, 45855 Promontory Road
6:30 to 8:30pm
 
There was a meeting on the sunshine coast this weekend. No mention of aquaculture. Seems they have moved on. I believe the sentence was. Enough money been spent.
 
Seems they have moved on from the science then. And are all in with the foreign corporate dollars. So much with abiding by their own policies, ie precautionary principle. Say goodby to the wild salmon in about a generation I would think. Pretty hard to take the buffoons seriously if what you say is true. Better get out there and fish em while they're still there. And before they shut it down.
Enough money been spent? Have no idea where they're coming from with that statement. Except maybe on studies and commissions that are ignored or even fought against and that never get implemented.
 
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No movement from science. Show them a science paper that makes the link. For example: Out going smolts from the Fraser river, through jaun de fucca are having issues. Where is the science paper that shows fish farms are having an influence on out going smolts?
Friend of mine begrudgingly ask the question: Will there be changes to fish farms?
 
One big change in the policy is steelhead. I believe there is no protection for them....


"no conversation happening with province on co-management of resources"

So no management plan for steelhead "at risk"
 
it would be really nice if a government (provincial or federal) would actually care for steelhead...pretty dam shameful...:(:mad::(
 
No movement from science. Show them a science paper that makes the link. For example: Out going smolts from the Fraser river, through jaun de fucca are having issues. Where is the science paper that shows fish farms are having an influence on out going smolts?
Friend of mine begrudgingly ask the question: Will there be changes to fish farms?
Its the smolts going up the inside that get hammered by the Fish Farms how many go out the Jaun de Fucca?
The 2007 smolts were implanted with specially programmed acoustic tags. The programming provided for two periods of tracking: (1) covering the early period of smolt outmigration and (2) a second period of active transmission two years later when the fish were expected to return. Two of these tagged smolts (of 200 tagged smolts released; a 1% survival rate) returned in August 2009 as adults with both returning adults previously detected as smolts migrating north out of the Strait of Georgia/Discovery Passage/Broughton Archipelago (Queen Charlotte Strait) in 2007 (see Visualization). Despite their exit as smolts via Queen Charlotte Strait, the two adults both returned via the west coast of Vancouver Island, passing through the Juan de Fuca Strait within 1 day of each other in 2009 before moving back into Fraser River. The timing of river entry indicates that they did not delay in the Strait of Georgia for six weeks as was once the typical behaviour of late run Fraser River sockeye stocks, and instead exhibited the “early entry” behavior that has caused great problems for Fraser River fisheries management in recent years.


Survival of Cultus Lake sockeye smolts, 2004-07, with segment specific survival estimates from release at Cultus Lake to the lower Fraser River, Northern Strait of Georgia (NSOG) and Queen Charlotte Strait (QCS)

Our findings allow a partitioning of overall mortality into the first month of life in the ocean and that occurring afterwards, and are of particular importance because they demonstrate that the majority of the mortality occurred after smolts passed through the Discovery Passage/Broughton Archipelago region.

This sparks the debate of whether the poor marine survival was caused by fish farm related issues, or if other factors such as poor ocean conditions were responsible, or if there was perhaps a combination of impacts. At this time we have no answers, but we have solutions that could bring such answers.
 
it would be really nice if a government (provincial or federal) would actually care for steelhead...pretty dam shameful...:(:mad::(
Yes I wish they would get a provincial commitment. Take over the management and help the poor buggers out
 
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