Terms of Reference

Regional Advisory Meeting

Development of indicator benchmarks to evaluate the biological status of Wild Salmon Policy Conservation Units for Pacific salmon

January 5-6 2009
Simon Fraser University (Harbour Centre) Vancouver BC

Chairperson: Kim Hyatt

Background

As part of implementing Strategy 1 of Canada’s Wild Salmon Policy (WSP), DFO is developing indicator benchmarks to evaluate the biological status of WSP Conservation Units for Pacific salmon. This science review will explore methods for selecting benchmarks in a workshop setting. A suite of methods will be reviewed that are intended to cover the range of potential indicator benchmark for salmon in the Pacific Region including Conservation Units with varying data quality. As specified in Strategy 1, the focus will be on population indicators such as spawner abundance and trend, distribution and harvest impacts or proxies thereof. Methods for identifying higher and lower benchmarks that delimit the three status zones (green, amber and red) will be explored. Workshop participants will review a working paper that describes methods and classes of benchmarks based on examples from BC salmon.

Experts are invited to participate in this review of the methodology and help identify classes of measurable benchmark indicators for different salmon species and their Conservation Units.

Objectives

Specifically review methodologies for identifying benchmarks under WSP Strategy 1 based on a working paper entitled: Methods for assessing status and identifying benchmarks for Conservation Units of the Wild Salmon Policy (Holt et al.)

Products

• CSAS Proceedings document summarizing the discussion
• CSAS Research document
• CSAS Science Advisory Report

Location and Date

Simon Fraser University (Harbour Centre), Vancouver, BC, January 5-6, 2009

Participants

Participants (approx. 30) will include internal DFO representatives and invites from academia, First Nations, NGO’s, industry and the Pacific Salmon Commission.