Terms of Reference

Assessment of the ability of hydrodynamic and particle tracking models to inform decisions on siting and management of marine finfish aquaculture facilities in British Columbia

Regional Peer Review Process - Pacific Region

January 20-22, 2014
Nanaimo, British Columbia

Chairperson: Chrys Neville

Context

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is responsible for regulation and management of the aquaculture industry in British Columbia (BC).  These responsibilities include the licensing of aquaculture sites and the specification of conditions of licence.  In addition to conditions respecting the matters set out in subsection 22(1) of the Fishery (General) Regulations, the Minister may specify other conditions in an aquaculture licence including the waters in which aquaculture is permitted (siting) and measures that must be taken to minimize the impact of the operations on fish and fish habitat.

As the primary regulator of the aquaculture industry in BC, DFO recognizes that there are interactions between aquaculture operations and the natural environment.  The risks associated with these interactions are considered and addressed through a suite of regulatory tools.  Examples of such tools include licence conditions that require Fish Health Management Plans (FHMPs) and the application of siting criteria when considering the location of existing and proposed aquaculture facilities.

The siting criteria for marine finfish aquaculture currently applied by DFO were adapted from those previously applied by the Province of British Columbia.  These criteria are science-based and have evolved as new information has become available.  The application of siting criteria for aquaculture activities is designed to create buffers (proximity or separation distance) in relation to either general, or specific, ecosystem attributes (environmental or socio-economic).  The current siting criteria are a set of generic considerations that are applied on a coast-wide basis.

As part of the Department’s commitment to evaluating interactions between aquaculture operations and the natural environment to inform regulatory and management decisions, research has been undertaken to improve understanding of the likely fate of both passive and biological particles subject to area-specific conditions.  Consequently, two models have been developed for the purpose of simulating patterns of particle dispersion:

1. an ocean circulation model that hindcasts three-dimensional currents, salinities, temperatures and two-dimensional surface elevations, and
2. a particle tracking model that uses the outputs of the ocean circulation model to simulate the dispersal behavior of particles released at specific times and locations.

The goal of applying these models in the current context is to provide estimates of the potential connectivity of finfish aquaculture sites with respect to particle transport and to identify priorities related to further refinement of the models.  The Broughton Archipelago and Discovery Islands regions are considered here, both of which include complex coastal-ocean systems and are important regions for salmon net-pen aquaculture in BC.  Understanding the factors and uncertainties that influence particle dispersal can potentially provide area-specific guidance on the evaluation of current siting criteria and the potential development of aquaculture management zones.

Objectives

The Regional Peer Review Meeting (RPR) participants will review and provide advice based on the following working paper:

Foreman, M. and P. Chandler. The ability of hydrodynamic models to inform decisions on the siting and management of aquaculture facilities in British Columbia. CSAP Working Paper 2013-14/P08-09

This RPR will:

1. review and evaluate whether the ocean circulation and particle tracking models described in the working paper provide basis for simulating the dispersion of particles released from finfish aquaculture facilities in the Broughton Archipelago and Discovery Islands study regions, and
2. evaluate the potential application of these models to finfish aquaculture management.  Model evaluation will include a review of model assumptions, identification and quantification of key uncertainties where possible, identification of limitations to the temporal and spatial extent of model application, and assessment of the degree of agreement of model outputs with the available field observations.

Specific objectives include:

1. Evaluation of the ability of the ocean circulation model to represent hydrodynamic conditions in the Broughton Archipelago and Discovery Islands study regions;
2. Evaluation of the ability of the particle tracking model to simulate the likely dispersion distance, rate and areas of concentration of passive particles within the study regions;
3. Review of the extension of the particle tracking model to include particles with biological characteristics intended to simulate the dispersal behavior of potential pathogens and pests (e.g., IHN virus and sea lice) under a range of conditions;
4. Identification of model outputs at the appropriate spatial and temporal resolutions that could be considered in the design of new and/or updated siting criteria and for the potential development of management zones for finfish aquaculture.  This objective includes the provision of recommendations on additional data and analyses required to validate application of these models.

Expected Publications

• CSAS Science Advisory Report
• CSAS Research Document
• CSAS Proceedings

Participation

• DFO Science Branch
• DFO Aquaculture Management Division
• Province of British Columbia
• First Nations
• Aquaculture Industry
• Non-government organizations
• Academia

References

Foreman, M.G.G., P. Czajko, D.J. Stucchi and M. Guo. 2009. A finite volume model simulation for the Broughton Archipelago, Canada. Ocean Modelling, 30: 29-47.

Foreman, M.G.G., D.J. Stucchi, K.A. Garver, D. Tuele, J. Isaac, T. Grime, M. Guo and J. Morrison. (2012). A circulation model for the Discovery Islands, British Columbia. Atmosphere-Ocean 50:301-316.

Stucchi, D., M. Guo, M.G.G. Foreman, P. Czajko, M. Galbraith, D. Mackas, and P. Gillibrand. 2011. Modelling sea lice production and concentrations in the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, in Salmon Lice: An integrated approach to understanding parasite abundance and distribution. In: Jones, S. and Beamish, R. J. (eds.). Salmon Lice: An Integrated Approach to Understanding Parasite Abundance and Distribution. doi: 10.1002/9780470961568.ch4