Terms of Reference

Science guidance for Fisheries Protection Policy: Advice on Offsetting Techniques for Managing the Productivity of Freshwater Fisheries

National Peer Review - National Capital Region

June 4-6, 2013
Ottawa, Ontario

Chairperson: Dr. Jake Rice

Context

Recent changes to the Fisheries Act (2012) will change the way Department assesses and manages impacts on aquatic ecosystems. The amended Act will require the Department to protect the ongoing productivity of fish populations or communities that either contribute to or support fisheries within Canada.  To help managers make consistent decisions with respect to protecting ongoing productivity the amendments also included a new section, section 6, which outlines four considerations that the minister must take into account before authorizing a project that has the potential to do serious harm. Section 6(c) specifically requires the Minister to ensure that methods to avoid, mitigate or offset serious harm have been considered before a decision to authorize is made.

DFO Program Policy Sector has requested scientific guidance towards the implementation of these amendments to the Fisheries Act.  Participants will review methods that could be used to offset fisheries productivity losses due to human development within aquatic ecosystems, to provide operational guidance to the Fisheries Protection Program.

Objectives

1. Conduct a peer review of the working paper entitled “A Review of Methods Used to Increase Fisheries Productivity” (K.G. Loughlin, K.D. Clarke et al.).
2. Provide science advice and guidance to policy-makers and managers regarding the operational use of offsetting by the Fisheries Protection Program, including recommended “best practices” (where information is sufficient for recommended practices to be identified).
3. Conduct a peer review of the working paper entitled “A literature review of promising indicators of fisheries productivity for the new Fisheries Protection Program assessment framework.” (working title) (D.T. de Kerckhove, K.E. Smokorowski et al.).
4. Provide science advice and guidance to policy-makers and managers regarding the operational selection of metrics of productivity for use by the Fisheries Protection Program.
5. In light of science advice provided, identify any additional or on-going Science work required to support the new Fisheries Protection Program.

Expected Publications

• Science Advisory Report(s)
• Proceedings
• Research Documents (2)

Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) (Ecosystems and Oceans Science, and Ecosystems and Fisheries Policy and Management sectors)
• Other invited experts