Terms of Reference

Proposed Changes to the Conservation Unit for Nanaimo River Watershed Spring Chinook

Regional Science Response Process – Pacific Region

November 9, 2021
Virtual Meeting

Chairperson: Alain Magnan

Context

The Wild Salmon Policy (WSP) (2005) defines a Conservation Unit (CU) as a group of wild salmon sufficiently isolated from other groups that, if lost, is very unlikely to recolonize naturally within an acceptable timeframe, such as a human lifetime or a specified number of salmon generations. A procedure and process for reviewing CU definitions and for managing CUs was recently established (DFO 2019).

The Species at Risk Act (SARA) includes “subspecies, varieties or geographically or genetically distinct population” in its definition of wildlife species, and provides the Committee on the Status of Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) the mandate to assess those entities below the species level (i.e., designatable units or DUs). Designatable units should be discrete and evolutionarily significant units of the taxonomic species, where “significant” means that the unit is important to the evolutionary legacy of the species as a whole and if lost would likely not be replaced through natural dispersion. Informed by the existing CU structure of Chinook, COSEWIC designated East Vancouver Island Stream, Spring Chinook (DU 19) as Endangered.

After COSEWIC assesses an aquatic species as Threatened, Endangered or Extirpated, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) undertakes a number of actions required to support implementation of the Species at Risk Act (SARA). Many of these actions require scientific information on the current status of the wildlife species, threats to its survival and recovery, and the feasibility of recovery. Formulation of this scientific advice has typically been developed through a Recovery Potential Assessment (RPA). However, in development of this information, DFO could not find any evidence that a spring-timed, genetically distinct Chinook population existed in the Nanaimo River.

As this finding is potentially relevant for both CU and DU structures, the Species at Risk Program (SARP), requested that DFO Science Branch review the existing the East Vancouver Island_Nanaimo_SP_1.x Conservation Unit.

The assessment, and advice arising from this Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) Science Response, will be used to evaluate whether the Conservation Unit East Vancouver Island-Nanaimo-SP should be retired, and the Census Site POP_ID 3333 be included with the Conservation Unit East Vancouver Island_Georgia Strait_SU_0.3.

Following advice from this process, the information will be used by Science, which maintains the authoritative descriptions of CUs, to potentially update the existing CU database, and provide this information to SARP. The information may also be used by COSEWIC in reviewing potential changes to existing Chinook DUs.

Objectives

The following CU review request form will be reviewed and provide the basis for advice on the specific objective outlined below.

Baillie, Steve and Wilf Luedke. Request form for proposed changes to conservation units and/or census sites. 2021.

The specific objective of this review is to:

1. Evaluate and recommend whether the Conservation Unit East Vancouver Island-Nanaimo-SP be retired, and the Census Site POP_ID 3333 be included with the Conservation Unit East Vancouver Island_Georgia Strait_SU_0.3

Expected Publications

• Science Response

Expected Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (Ecosystems and Oceans Science, and Ecosystems and Fisheries Management sectors)
• Aboriginal organizations
• Province of BC
• Municipal governments (Regional District of Nanaimo and City of Nanaimo)
• Academia
• Industry
• Environmental non-governmental organizations

References

• DFO. 2005. Canada’s policy for conservation of wild Pacific salmon. Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Vancouver, BC. vi + 49 p.
• DFO. 2019. Proceedings of the Pacific Regional Peer Review Meeting on the Framework for Reviewing and Approving Revisions to Wild Salmon Policy Conservation Units; October 25-26, 2018. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Proceed. Ser. 2019/009.