Terms of Reference

Threshold Approaches and Status of Metrics Selected to Report on the State of Fish and Fish Habitat in the Ontario and Prairie Region Priority Areas: Part 2

Regional Peer Review – Ontario and Prairie Region

August 23-25, 2022
Virtual Meeting

Chairperson: Amanda Winegardner

Context

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has committed to area-based reports on the State of Fish and Fish Habitat (SOFFH) in Canada by March 31, 2023. These will serve as a means of reporting on the progress of implementing a modernized Fisheries Act, and demonstrating results of a revitalized Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program (FFHPP). As part of this initiative, the FFHPP in the Ontario & Prairie (O&P) Region have selected two (2) priority areas to develop their own SOFFH reports: the Lower Great Lakes Area in Ontario, and the Eastern Slopes Region of Alberta.

A Science Advisory meeting was held on June 29–30, 2021 to discuss possible indicators, metrics, and data available for inclusion in the O&P regional SOFFH report. After the discussions, it was decided that the report will include five (5) indicators: biodiversity, water quality, connectivity, land use, and climate change. Each indicator will be described using different metrics (biodiversity, water quality, connectivity, land use, and climate change), which would be quantified for each assessment unit  (e.g., watersheds) within the two reporting areas. O&P’s contribution to the larger National SOFFH report will therefore summarize the state of each metric specifically, each indicator broadly, as well as qualitative descriptions of DFO programs that inform both metrics and indicators. The proceedings report (DFO, 2022) summarizes the relevant discussions and recommendations received on the indicators and metrics proposed during this first part of this CSAS process.

FFHPP is seeking science advice on approaches that can be used to define classification schemes and associated thresholds for reporting on the SOFFH in the Lower Great Lakes and East Slopes of Alberta reporting areas. In addition, science advice on quantifying and assessing the SOFFH in these reporting areas, is also requested. Possible approaches to address uncertainties and fill knowledge gaps in the future will be discussed.

It is expected that this process will have synergies with recent CSAS processes focusing on the  assessment of impacts and offsets for the death of fish, and the renewal of Pathways of Effects models used to assess risks to fish and fish habitat. Furthermore, this peer-review meeting may help to inform future CSAS requests related to risk management and the establishment of environmental benchmarks. Information produced through this process will also help to inform national SOFFH reporting.

Objectives

The objectives of the peer-review meeting are to:

1. Present a synthesis of the available data and status of each environmental metric within the Lower Great Lakes and East Slopes of Alberta reporting areas;
2. Review the approaches used to categorize the status of each environmental metric, including approaches to determine threshold values for reporting
3. Review approaches used to categorize data quality for reporting on the SOFFH; and
4. Identify uncertainties and knowledge gaps with respect to data availability and the methods used for developing classification schemes for the SOFFH

Expected Publications

• Science Advisory Report
• Proceedings
• Research Document(s)

Expected Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) (Science and Aquatic Ecosystem sectors)
• Province of Ontario
• Province of Alberta
• Academics
• Other invited experts

References

• DFO. 2022. Proceedings of the Regional Peer Review on the Validation of Metrics Selected to Report on the State of Fish and Fish Habitat in the Ontario and Prairie Region Priority Areas: Part 1; June 29–30, 2021. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Proceed. Ser. 2022/017.