Chair of Independent Salmon Conservation Council Testifies before Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans

Ottawa, March 18, 2003 - Appearing later today before the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, the Hon. John A. Fraser, Chair of the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council (PFRCC), will testify that there needs to be a revitalizing of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in British Columbia with a clearer focus on its prime mandate, the protection of wild salmon and other native fish species. As well, severe decreases in provincial government support and funding levels is a major concern of the PFRCC. Mr. Fraser's presentation will centre on habitat protection.

"The conservation of habitat is central to the conservation of our wild Pacific salmon resource. This is an enormous and complex task," said Mr. Fraser. "Habitat is everything a fish relies upon to complete its life cycle. It's freshwater habitat and watershed health; it's ecosystem function, estuarine production and health; it's the marine environment, both nearshore and offshore, and it's about other processes, such as the effects of climate change, that can impact all of the above. Clearly, habitat protection requires major resources and commitment by both levels of government. The PFRCC is concerned that resources being devoted to habitat protection are decreasing rather than increasing".

Mr. Fraser will appear before the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans on Tuesday, March 18, 2003, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., in Room 505 of the Victoria Building, 140 Wellington Street. Copies of Mr. Fraser's presentation will be available at that time, both in the committee room and at the PFRCC website at www.fish.bc.ca (PFRCC Brief to the Standing Senate Committee).

Some clear and present threats to British Columbia's salmon habitat are the following:

Decreased stewardship support: Mr. Fraser will tell Senators about the leadership role played by Community Advisors, Habitat Stewards, Habitat Fisheries Officers, Stewardship Coordinators and Habitat Auxiliaries in protecting sensitive salmon habitats. However, provincial government support and funding to key stewardship groups has recently ended. Cuts to Fisheries Renewal BC's watershed rehabilitation programming, as well as to the Urban Salmon Habitat Program and others, have removed millions of dollars in support of stewardship programs.

As for the federal government, funding of the Pacific Fisheries Adjustment and Restructuring Program (PFAR) is coming to an end. This program was slated for termination on the basis that, by now, stewardship groups would have developed internal capacity and new funding mechanisms. These goals have not been met and, as noted above, the federal reductions in capacity follow severe provincial cuts. This is of great concern as every dollar invested by governments in assisting stewards is more than matched by in-kind and other resources from dedicated citizens.

Low water flows: Mr. Fraser will articulate PFRCC concerns that water flow levels in BC this year could reach perilously low levels, impacting upon salmon survival rates. Under the current system of water management in British Columbia it is always the natural flows that suffer during drought conditions as levels of water withdrawals for industrial and other purposes are guaranteed. There are already numerous examples of portions of streams going dry, eggs being exposed, dangerous reductions in rearing habitats, delayed spawning migrations at river mouths as salmon await adequate flows, and pre-spawning mortality as a result of delayed salmon migrations during lower water periods.

To support this dialogue with Senators and to recommend a new direction Mr. Fraser will table the summary of the PFRCC report Water Use Planning: A Tool to Restore Salmon and Steelhead Habitat in British Columbia Streams (released 2000). This report is available at www.fish.bc.ca. Furthermore, in response to a request from DFO, the PFRCC is presently preparing a review of this situation.

Aquaculture: Mr. Fraser will reiterate PFRCC concerns with the impacts of aquaculture on wild Pacific salmon stocks. To support this dialogue, Mr. Fraser will table three PFRCC information items: The Protection of Broughton Archipelago Pink Salmon Stocks (released November 25, 2002), Making Sense of the Aquaculture Debate (released January 13, 2003), and Wild Salmon and Aquaculture in British Columbia (released January 20, 2003). All are available at www.fish.bc.ca.

Provincial changes to the Forest Practices Code, move to results-based management: Through the management of its resource industries, the provincial government has the ability and responsibility of preventing damage to fish habitat. A good co-operative effort with the federal government was the development of the Forest Practices Code as a means to prevent damage to fish and fish habitat. Currently, there is a proposal to change that preventative code in favour of a proposed results based Forest Practices Code. The concept is maintaining environmental standards by managing the end results rather than requiring risk avoidance procedures be followed. Mr. Fraser will outline concerns with this approach to Senators.

Changing oceans and freshwater conditions: Mr. Fraser will articulate the PFRCC's desire for increased research into the effects of climate change so as to better understand the influence of ocean factors, such as water temperature, on the functioning of marine ecosystems and the marine survival of salmon. Similarly, climate change can impact the quantity and quality of stream flow and more needs to be done to understand the situation.

"There are many clear and present challenges related to the protection of salmon habitat," said Mr. Fraser. "Recent reductions in staffing levels, and recent resource cuts to habitat assessment programs, enforcement activities and research projects serve to only make these challenges greater and less likely to be met."

"There is real opportunity being missed here," Mr. Fraser said. "If the federal government were to enhance and strengthen preventative habitat protection measures, working closely with local communities and supporting local knowledge, it would be an important example of how to play a positive and direct role in the lives of British Columbians".

The Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council was established in 1998. Its role is to provide independent, strategic advice and relevant information to Canada's and British Columbia's fisheries ministers as well as to the Canadian public on the status and long term sustainable use of wild salmon stocks and their freshwater and ocean habitats.

For more information, contact:

Gordon Ennis
Managing Director Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council
604-775-5621
ennis@fish.bc.ca

John Paul Fraser
Media Liaison Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council
604-775-5789
fraser@fish.bc.ca