Science Response 2012/031

Science response to information requests submitted to the Enbridge pipeline project environmental impact assessment hearings respecting marine fish

Context

Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO) Environmental Assessment and Major Projects Division (EAMP), Pacific Region, requested that DFO Science, Pacific Region, on May 15, 2012, provide information regarding specific Information Requests (IRs) submitted to the Enbridge Review Panel that DFO Science has the expertise to evaluate. As the IRs for which Science advice was requested cover a range of issues and scientific disciplines, separate Science Responses have been developed for each category of IRs, and in some cases specific IRs. In addition to science related questions, some IRs included elements that were questions pertaining to DFO policy, management or legal information. This Science Response addresses the scientific elements of the following questions:

• Has the Proponent provided the additional baseline information on marine fish communities and the additional fishing surveys requested in IR No.2 to the Proponent? If so, please provide copies of this information. [NGP Response to Federal Government IR No.2, number 2.13; Volume 2, Part 1, section 61]. If not, has the Proponent agreed to provide this information, and if so when? [NGP Response to Federal Government IR No.2, number 2.13; Volume 2, Part 1, section 61]
• How is this information relevant to the assessment of potential risks associated with the Project? [NGP Response to Federal Government IR No.2, number 2.13; Volume 2, Part 1, section 61]
• How is this data relevant to the assessment of potential risks associated with the Project? [NGP Response to Federal Government IR No.2, number 2.14; Volume 2, Part 1, section 61]
• Please provide copies of the studies cited by DFO in Information Request No. 2 to the Proponent, section 2.15, linking the effects of sound to decreases in catch per unit effort for rockfish species. [NGP Response to Federal Government IR No.2, number 2.15; Volume 2, Part 1, section 61]
• How is an assessment of the decreases in catch per unit [effort] for rockfish species relevant to the assessment of potential risks associated with the Project? [NGP Response to Federal Government TR No.2, number 2.15; Volume 2, Part 1, section 61]

This Science Response report is from the Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat, Regional Science Special Response Process (SSRP) of May 29th, 2012 on the Science advice in response to information requests submitted by Intervenors to the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project environmental assessment Panel Review Process. Additional publications from this process will be posted as they become available on the Fisheries and Oceans Canada Science Advisory Schedule website.

Complete document (PDF, 405 KB)

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