WCVI Suuhaa (Chinook) - First Nations Fisheries

WCVI Suuhaa (Chinook)

Conservation, Management and Allocation

WCVI Chinook: Conservation

• Over 30 years of persistent low returns for most WCVI stocks (especially unenhanced)

• No evidence that management measures are rebuilding WCVI Chinook– e.g., 10% Canadian ER; 15% SEAK HR reduction;

WCVI CMC; 3 major WCVI DFO hatcheries• Generally poor escapement assessment (with

a couple of exceptions)• Complacent, “new normal” acceptance

Why low WCVI Chinook returns?

• 1970’s: habitat loss due to logging• 1980’s: very high harvest rates (pre-PST)• 1990’s: salmon farming• 1990’s: growing WCVI recreational fishery• 1990’s: questionable enhancement practices• 2000’s: worsening ocean conditions

WCVI still has pristine rivers with low returns.

Pacific Salmon Treaty Driver

• WCVI Chinook will be a major driver for 2017 PST renegotiations, as in 2009, 1999, and 1985

• Not clear what Canada’s objectives are for Chinook in PST renegotiations

• Canada will likely make the case to continue limited 2009 PST measures to address WCVI Chinook conservation [not enough to rebuild]

• Alaska will dispute Canada’s limited information• Negotiated settlement will be challenging

WCVI Chinook: Management

• 10% Canadian ER “objective” (3.2% for Area F troll)• 15% SEAK catch reduction in 2009 PST• 30% WCVI catch reduction in 2009 PST• WCVI Chinook Management Corridor (1 mile)• Emerging innovative enhancement approaches

from one of three WCVI major SEP facilities• Local, watershed based habitat and enhancement

projects (lacking WCVI-wide coordination)

WCVI Chinook: Management Concerns

• Concern with continued high-harvest rates in SE Alaska commercial and recreational fisheries

• Concern with size regulations in SEAK fisheries that select larger females

• Concern with standard hatchery procedures that return disproportionate number of 3 year old male Chinook (no eggs)

• Concern with exceeding 10% ER objective (sport)• Concern with WCVI hatchery straying into “wild”

(unenhanced) populations

BC Chinook: Management• Concern with lack of escapement assessment

(WCVI and elsewhere)• Concern with lack of BC Chinook stocks with PST

accepted escapement goals (only two stocks with accepted goals: Cowichan and Harrison)

• Concern with incomplete recreational monitoring – e.g., no creel survey for Areas 15, 16, 17, 18, 28 and 29

in Georgia Strait; seasonal monitoring in other areas

AABM Chinook: Management

• PSC Chinook Technical Committee (CTC) determines annual Abundance Index (AI) for Aggregate Abundance Based Management (AABM) fisheries (SEAK, NBC, WCVI)

• Table 1. in PST determines Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for fishing area based on AI

• Canada (DFO) decides on domestic sharing (allocations) of NBC and WCVI AABM TAC

AABM Chinook: Management

• WCVI AABM fisheries harvest Chinook returning to rivers throughout the Pacific Northwest (e.g., Oregon, Washington, interior Fraser, Strait of Georgia, Puget Sound, WCVI, Idaho, etc.)

• WCVI fisheries “shaped” to allow fishing in times and areas to avoid stocks of concern to the extent possible

AABM Chinook: Allocation

Current allocation priority (DFO – rights infringing)1. Food and Ceremonial rights (general Nuu-chah-

nulth + Maa-nulth Treaty: roughly 9,000 fish)2. Recreational fishery (1999 DFO Allocation policy

confers priority for Chinook to recreational fishery; current target 60,000 Chinook)

3. Commercial (Area G troll + Aboriginal rights based fishery of five Nuu-chah-nulth Nations)

AABM Chinook: Allocation

Correct allocation priority (SCC in Gladstone)1. Food and Ceremonial rights (general Nuu-chah-

nulth + Maa-nulth Treaty: roughly 9,000 fish)2. Rights-based fishery of five NCN Nations3. Up to Canada (DFO) to decide with recreational

and commercial harvesters how to best utilize the remaining (~60 – 65%) of the TAC

a. E.g., Canada could maintain recreational priority and target of 60,000 pieces for this TAC portion

DFO Allocation (Rights Infringing)

9,2487,558

60,000

56,494

NCN F&C

5 FNs rights

Sport

Area G

2016 TAC = 133,300AABM Chinook

Fair Allocation (Rights Recognition)2016 TAC = 133,300AABM Chinook 9,248

37,216

86,837 NCN F&C

5 FNs Rights

Sport + Area G

Vessel Size

Nuu-chah-nulth troller over 25’

Vessel Size

• If the five Nations have an allocation to fish to, what difference does it make to DFO the vessel size that fishers use?

Fishing Area

PM Trudeau to AFN Chiefs, Dec 2015"It is time for a renewed, nation-to-nation relationship with First Nations peoples, one that understands that the constitutionally guaranteed rights of First Nations in Canada are not an inconvenience but rather a sacred obligation."