Area 14 SFAC fall meeting

Bryan Allen

Well-Known Member
Agenda
SFAC Area 14
Date November 2, 2022
Location Genoa Room Sail Building Marina Park

Call to Order 6pm
Welcome by the Chair / Introductions
Adoption of Agenda
Adoption of previous minutes (March 2022 no quorum)
Update on Action log
Reports
Area 14 SFAC Ex
1. Joint letter
2. See attached Questions/Concerns from Area 14 SFAC)
3. Proportion of Area 14 “Terminal Area” Fall Chinook opening (2 per day) included
southern interests Parksville
4. Coho one month September opening
5. Requests for Coho DNA
6. Response to Coho limits extending into October
7. Disconnect in the SFAB process for motions and are the DFO responses adequate, needs
to some notification to the originating SFAC.
 Ground fish by-catch (boiled down presentation to the GFSF of the by-catch was not
what was asked for)
 SFAC members concerned over new SFAB process
DFO Final 2022 Fall Regional Updates 13 page document
 
More ---
New Business
 Terminal Fishing opportunities Chinook and Coho
 2022 /23 IFMP Planning is difficult without information proposals (how it is DFO can
turn around the sockeye test fishing DNA results in less than a week and we are waiting
on Avid Angler and other DNA results to support Chinook and Coho fisheries for over a
year)?
 MSF (Puntledge and Qualicum hatcheries mass marking)?
Past Motions and Updates

Motion MB-SC-03-01-20 Mid Water Trawl Response Below
Salmon are prohibited species in groundfish trawl fisheries. Prohibited species cannot be
retained, and therefore are not subject to dockside sampling (e.g. genetic sampling, CWT). The
midwater trawl fleet is also subject to 100% at-sea electronic monitoring. While this provides
comprehensive catch estimates, it does not facilitate at-sea samples. To refine current estimates
of salmon bycatch in response to the SFAB's request, the Department is first collating historical
bycatch data. A spatial-temporal analysis may provide some preliminary insight to stock
composition.
Since then we understand some changes have taken place and that salmon bycatch is mandatory
retention in midwater trawl and a sampling program was to be undertaken.
We would like an Action point for the meeting that the Area 14 SFAC as noted in the original
motion be provided for each year by January, the raw catch data for the midwater trawl caught in
PFMA-14 and the results of the sampling. Waiting for 2020 and 2021. In a manner that allows
for use in Salmon planning an IFMP process.
Motion MB-SC-14-2020-11-018-02 RCA Response below
DFO Science is in the process of developing a RCA monitoring plan related to recent Science
advice. We are planning on having the plan presented at CSAS before the end of next fiscal.
As part of this plan, we are reviewing monitoring data collected by DFO using ROVs in 2009-
2012 and 2018. We are also looking at SCUBA and towed camera data collected by the Central
Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance (CCIRA) in RCAs in the Central Coast. Methods we are
currently developing will also be discussed including the use of stereo cameras and passive
acoustic monitoring.
Action Please provide any results/updates
Motion ????????? Descending Devices
We would like an update
Action point for an update on the analysis of dropping the 62 cm size limit to 55cm. Will
this assist in an overall reduction in Chinook encounters and overall mortality and ER impacts?
Action Point from a long standing past Motion on the sampling of the bycatch in the JS and
JDF sockeye test fisheries can we get an update on the DNA sampling.
Annual Chinook Limits in reviewing the motions and DFO response March 4, 2020 DFO paper
suggestion is that only a small number of anglers retain over 10 chinook. In the DFO analysis
paper on the review it is unclear if only licence holders that would have been able to retain 10
chinooks were the licence holders that were surveyed. For example you could not include a
resident license holder in the survey if they lived in Alberta as they would have had to make 2 or
more trips out to BC or for that matter what was used as the definition of a resident license
holder? What criteria was used to determine a “resident license holder”?

Question on IFR Coho can DFO STAD explain why you need 3 consecutive years of 3% smolt
survival and 3 consecutive years of an aggregate of 27k or greater spawners being required to
move from low abundance to moderate?
Over the past 12 years 2010 to 2021, spanning 4 complete life cycles of Coho only 2 of the years
(2014 and 2015) were there less than 27k aggregate spawners. Note 27k aggregate spawning
adult Coho of IFR streams is the number of spawners to move from low to moderate abundance
classification.
So obviously less than 3% smolt survivals are producing moderate levels of adult Coho
abundance in 10 out of 12 years over 4 full life cycles.
Question on Fraser River Chinook Stocks of Concern (5-2 population) for the Dome Cr
indicator stock can we get the age composition by year of the spawners returning over the past
10years?
Round Table

Adjournment
 
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