Terms of Reference

Technical Review of Fraser River Chinook Management Approach

Regional Peer Review – Pacific Region

July 9-10, 2019
Nanaimo, BC

Chairperson: Mary Thiess

Context

Early run-timed Fraser River Chinook Salmon management units (Spring 4₂, Spring 5₂ and Summer 5₂) contain 13 Wild Salmon Policy (WSP) Conservation Units (CUs), most of which are of conservation concern. A recent integrated biological status assessment of Southern British Columbia (BC) Chinook assigned seven of these 13 CUs to red status, one to red/amber status and one to amber status (MPO 2016). An additional three CUs were found to be Data Deficient and one is still To Be Determined. Further, broad-scale declines in productivity and size-at-age have been observed among several southern BC Chinook populations, including a number of the Fraser River populations identified here (MPO 2018).

Since 2008, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) implemented a series of fisheries closures and restrictions to protect Fraser Spring 4₂ Chinook stocks. Starting in 2012, closures and restrictions were expanded to confer additional protections to Fraser Spring 5₂ and Summer 5₂ Chinook stocks. A process was established in 2016 to conduct a review of the management approach implemented in 2012 given there were five years of data (i.e., equivalent to a full Chinook life cycle). The objective of the review is to determine whether the 2012 approach was achieving conservation and allocation objectives consistent with An Allocation Policy for Pacific Salmon (1999), including obligations to provide for constitutionally protected aboriginal and treaty fisheries after conservation objectives. This process (hereafter called the “Five-Year Review”) will be conducted in two phases:

• Phase 1: Complete a technical review of the available information and analyses for Fraser Chinook Salmon that can be used to inform the second phase. This technical review will be subject to a CSAS peer reviewed advisory process.
• Phase 2: Discuss management implications of the technical review results and consider potential options for changes to DFO’s management approach for Fraser River Chinook Salmon. These discussions will occur through DFO’s existing consultation and advisory processes.

Under Phase 1 of the Five-Year Review, DFO Fisheries Management has requested that Science Branch provide a technical review of the data and methods available to assess fisheries impacts on Fraser River Spring 4₂, Spring 5₂ and Summer 5₂ Chinook for all fishing sectors (including catch and release mortalities). Additionally, the review should i) evaluate whether conservation objectives for these stocks outlined in the salmon Integrated Fisheries Management Plans (IFMP) were achieved; and, ii) evaluate the performance of the ‘zoned’ management approach for Spring 5₂ and Summer 5₂ Chinook outlined in 2012 letters from Rebecca Reid to First Nations and other fishery stakeholders. Additional management actions that were outlined in the 2012 letter specific to ‘zone 1’ abundance include:

• Reduce exploitation rates on Fraser River Spring 5₂ and Summer 5₂ Chinook by a minimum of 50% from the 50–60% exploitation rates in the early 2000’s (resulting in an overall domestic exploitation rate of less than 30% for Fraser River Spring 5₂ Chinook).
• Distribute the exploitation rate reductions such that the recreational and commercial sectors have a greater overall reduction than First Nations. The proposed measures projected a reduction of 44% to the First Nations food, social, and ceremonial (FSC) exploitation rate (producing an exploitation rate of 20%), a reduction of 73% to the recreational sector (producing an exploitation rate of 4.3%), and a reduction of 77% to the commercial sector (producing an exploitation rate of 2.1%).
• First Nations fishing for FSC purposes will have priority over other uses and will be provided the majority of the available fishery exploitation.
• Increase the proportion of the Fraser River Spring 5₂ exploitation rate that is taken by the First Nations FSC fishery.

This review is also intended to identify key data gaps and uncertainties affecting the assessment of the Department’s management approach and to provide advice on how to account for and/or resolve these gaps and uncertainties. Lack of recent data from coded wire tag indicator populations for Fraser River Spring 5₂ and Summer 5₂ management units will require the technical review to consider the use of DNA sample information from fisheries, information from the run reconstruction model used for Fraser River fisheries, and other tools or models used for fisheries planning.

The assessment, and advice arising from this Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) Regional Peer Review (RPR), will be used to inform discussion on DFO’s management approach for Fraser River Chinook during Phase 2 of the Five-Year Review process.

Objective

The following working paper will be reviewed and provide the basis for discussion and advice on the specific objectives outlined below.

Dobson, D., Holt, K., and Davis., B. Technical Review of Fraser River Chinook Management Approach. CSAP Working Paper 2016SAL07

The specific objectives of this review are to:

1. Summarize trends in spawner abundance, biological properties, and annual exploitation rates for Fraser River Spring 4₂, Spring 5₂, Summer 5₂ Chinook management units over the review period.
2. Estimate and present fishery mortalities (catch and release by First Nations, recreational, commercial), as well as the proportion of overall harvests attributable to each harvest sector. Where direct estimates are not available, use alternative methods to project fishery mortalities (e.g., using a run reconstruction approach or other method) to the extent possible.
3. To the extent possible, evaluate management outcomes relative to the stated management objectives, described above, for Fraser River Spring 4₂, Spring 5₂ and Summer 5₂ Chinook.
4. Examine and identify uncertainties in the data and methods. Use sensitivity analyses to identify which information gaps have the largest potential impact on estimated outcomes.
5. Document data sources, data treatments, models, key assumptions, uncertainties, and implications for results.

Expected Publications

• Science Advisory Report
• Proceedings
• Research Document

Expected Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO): Ecosystems and Oceans Science, and Ecosystems and Fisheries Management sectors
• Indigenous communities and organizations
• Commercial and recreational fishing industries
• Pacific Salmon Commission Chinook Technical Committee

References

DFO. 2016. Integrated Biological Status of Southern British Columbia Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Under the Wild Salmon Policy. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2016/042.

DFO. 2018. Science information to support consultations on BC Chinook Salmon fishery management measures in 2018. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Resp. 2018/035.