Research Document 2021/063

Recovery Potential Assessment for 11 Designatable Units of Fraser River Chinook Salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Part 1: Elements 1 to 11

By Doutaz, D., Weir, L., Arbeider, M., Braun, D., Jenewein, B., Rickards, K., Labelle, M., Curtis, S., Mozin, P., Whitney, C., Parken, C., and Bailey, R.

Abstract

Eleven Fraser River Chinook Salmon (FRC) (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Designatable Units (DU) were assessed as Threatened or Endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) in 2018, and are currently under consideration for addition to Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA). This first part of the Recovery Potential Assessment (RPA) (Elements 1-11) provides descriptions and status updates for the populations, an overview of biology and habitat requirements, and an assessment of the threats and factors limiting recovery. The major threats impacting DUs were assessed in a workshop with local experts, and were determined to be climate change, natural system modifications, fishing, and pollution. Threats to individual DUs of note include: recent landslides posing serious risks to DUs 8, 9, 10 and 11; competition with hatchery fish for DU2; and particularly high impacts due to natural systems modifications for DUs 9 and 14. All eleven DUs are considered to be at a high-extreme or extreme threat risk, due to the severity and number of threats these DUs are facing. Based on the assessed threats, over the next three generations it is expected that there will be a population level decline of 31-100% for DUs 2, 4, 5, 7, 16 and 17, and a 71% to 100% population level decline for DUs 8, 9, 10, 11, and 14. Alleviating the multiple and complex threats to these DUs will be difficult, especially as many of the threats are exacerbated by climate change. It will be critical to ensure that efforts are appropriately coordinated through effective governance to successfully mitigate the cumulative impacts of these diverse threats. Recovery targets, options for mitigation, forward population projections and allowable harm will be provided in the second half of the RPA (Elements 12-22).

Research Document 2021/063 (PDF, 9,255 KB)

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