Consultation on the PST Southern Coho reference points and exploitation rate caps: Engagement plan

1.0 What is the goal of this process

What is the key purpose of this engagement process?

The purpose is to review and seek feedback on the approach for identifying Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST) status reference points (i.e. low, moderate or abundant) and determining corresponding exploitation rate (ER) caps for Canadian Coho management units (MUs). This process will engage Canadian First Nations and stakeholders in reviewing potential options while considering the possible conservation risks to Coho populations. The input gathered through this process will help inform the Government of Canada on the perspectives of First Nations and stakeholders with respect to desired outcomes and risk tolerance, and thus inform the final approach for establishing reference points and ER caps for the bilateral management of Canadian Coho MUs. Further background context is provided in Appendix A.

Key points:

• This engagement process focuses on Canada's obligation to provide maximum bilateral (Canada and US) exploitation rates (ER caps) for each PST status category of Low, Moderate and Abundant, for Canadian Coho management units under the terms of Annex IV, Chapter 5 of the PST.
• Within each ER cap, explicit limits on the ERs for Canada and the US are established under the PST. Each country then manages within its ER cap through its own domestic fisheries management process and annual fishing plans.
• This means that within its portion of the PST ER cap, Canada will continue to implement its own annual domestic planning processes (i.e. through the salmon Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP) development process) and determine fishery-specific, domestic management actions to implement. Domestic annual ER targets may be set less than or equal to the maximum permitted under the maximum bilateral ER cap for domestic management purposes.
• Any new bilateral ER caps will only come into effect for the 2019 fishing season with discussions on management decision rules for Canadian fisheries to take place in developing the 2019 IFMP through existing consultation processes.

Who is being asked to contribute their input?

First Nations and stakeholders (i.e., commercial and recreational harvesters, and Marine Conservation Caucus), including Canadian members of both the PSC Southern Panel and PSC Coho Technical Committee (CoTC) will be invited to participate in the engagement process and provide feedback on the options presented. US PSC bodies (Southern Panel, CoTC) will be informed of the work as appropriate through PSC meetings but formal advice will not be sought.

Who is seeking this input?

The Government of Canada (DFO) is seeking this input to inform the analysis of options and in support of a collaborative decision making process, with a final decision required by December 2018 in order to meet PST obligations and communicate planned approaches to the United States.

What type of information and input are we seeking?

Although the specific questions that will guide the engagement process are still evolving, we will be seeking input on the following types of information:

• Pros and cons of alternative approaches for defining status levels and ER caps (i.e., for Canadian Coho MUs)
• Appropriate ranges for ER caps under different status levels
• Key objectives and uncertainties that should be considered when comparing different types of approaches
• Preferences and/or concerns with respect to different types of approaches (and underlying reasons)
• Other information that should be factored into the final decision

What will success look like for the engagement process?

• Broad opportunity for provision of feedback from First Nations and stakeholders on preferred approach(es)
• Clear documentation of advice received on preferences for PST status reference points and associated ER caps in order to inform a Canadian approach for managing southern BC Coho MUs

Governance and support for the engagement process

The Canadian Caucus of the Southern Panel is providing guidance to this process. Although this process is also seeking input more broadly from a range of First Nations and stakeholders, the Canadian Caucus of the Southern Panel will serve as the key point of engagement and advice. DFO has established a project team that is responsible for the implementation of this process. The DFO team includes staff from Fisheries Management, Stock Assessment, and Regional Headquarters. To further support the implementation and delivery of this process, the PSC Southern Endowment Fund has contracted an external consultant (ESSA Technologies, Ltd.) to work with the DFO team to develop and implement the engagement process, lead the facilitation, and document the process and outcomes.

2.0 The decision that needs to be made

What is the decision?

The Government of Canada must make a decision regarding its approach for assessing status of Canadian Coho MUs and determining appropriate fishery reference points and corresponding ER caps. Canada is required to make this decision in order to fulfil its obligations under the PST.

Scope

The objective of the bilateral Canada/US Southern Coho Management Plan, as outlined in Annex IV, Chapter 5 of the Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST), is to manage total fishery exploitation to enable MUs to “produce Maximum Sustainable Harvest (MSH) over the long term, while maintaining the genetic and ecological diversity of the component populations”, and to “improve long-term prospects for sustaining healthy fisheries in both countries”. Within the ER caps specified by the Treaty, each party to the Treaty can manage its assigned allowable exploitation rate in a manner appropriate to its own objectives and policies through its own domestic fishery planning processes. In addition, the exploitation rate caps are maximums – either party can manage their fisheries to a lower exploitation rate if they decide to do so.

To be clear, the scope of the engagement and associated decision is focused on the approach for assessing status of Canadian Coho MUs and determining appropriate fishery reference points and corresponding ER caps to set bi-lateral management obligations under the Pacific Salmon Treaty. The results of this work will set out the maximum Canadian and US exploitation rates permitted under low, moderate or abundant status. This work is NOT intended to specify domestic fishery management plans or domestic allocation arrangements for First Nations, recreational or commercial fisheries. Discussions on fishery plans will take place as part of the annual Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP) development process. The results of this work will NOT inform the management of the 2018 salmon fishery.

Why is the decision important?

This work is important for two reasons. First, the Canadian Chief Commissioner made a commitment in a 2015 letter to her US counterpart that this work would be completed. Canada has committed to finish this work by December 2018. Second, the current agreement in principle on Chapter 5, which would come into effect beginning in 2019, stipulates that in the absence of status determination methodologies and associated ERs approved by Canada, the IFR MU would continue in low status with the current ER cap (i.e., 20% in total for Canadian and US fisheries) and would be the only Canadian MU under bilateral ER management.

What fisheries does this apply to?

• This will affect the allowable exploitation permitted for Coho MUs across Canadian domestic fisheries, including First Nations food, social and ceremonial, recreational and commercial (including First Nations)
• Under the Pacific Salmon Treaty, Canadian and US fisheries will be managed based on ER caps linked to the PST status of Canadian Coho MUs

How does this engagement process support the Government's decision-making process?

The Government's decision will be informed by both the input received through the engagement process and advice from the Canadian Southern Panel members. The external facilitation team (ESSA) will prepare its draft report summarizing feedback received during the engagement process by mid-June. The report will be reviewed by relevant DFO staff and Canadian members of the Southern Panel and Coho Technical Committee by late June, then finalized and delivered to DFO for input into their final decision. The final report will be made available to the public. The decision will be implemented through Chapter 5 of the Pacific Salmon Treaty.

3.0 Alignment with policy framework

The direction and intent of this engagement process is informed by Departmental policies and guidelines, including fisheries management policies, Canada's Policy for the Conservation of Wild Pacific Salmon, the Sustainable Fisheries Framework, and the Precautionary Approach. The engagement process is not intended to in any way define or limit any Aboriginal title or rights of First Nations, and will be without prejudice to the positions of the parties with respect to Aboriginal title or rights. Further, DFO will consult with Aboriginal groups when allocation decisions may potentially affect Aboriginal fishery interests, in accordance with S. 35 of the Constitution Act (1982), relevant case law, and consistent with Departmental policies and considerations.

4.0 The content and material requiring review

Based on a CSAS request, a working paper by Josh Korman and Joel Sawada entitled "Framework for Determination of Pacific Salmon Commission Reference Points for Status Determination and Associated Allowable Exploitation Rates for Select Canadian Southern Coho Salmon Management Units" was prepared and subsequently peer reviewed (Sept. 20/21, 2017). The peer review process included the participation of experts from DFO, First Nations, stakeholder groups, Canadian Southern Panel, and bilateral representatives of the PSC Coho Technical Committee. As part of the CSAS process, DFO has developed a Science Advisory Report (SAR), which summarizes the discussion, science advice and conclusions based on this work. The SAR should be available in early 2018.

DFO is developing a discussion paper to inform the engagement process that will summarize the CSAS process, technical outputs and outline options for review and feedback. The discussion paper will be the central document for the engagement process. It is intended to be completed by mid-February and made available immediately thereafter through a number of pathways.

5.0 Engagement approach and pathways

First Nations and stakeholders will have several opportunities to provide feedback and input on this work. Opportunities will include via webinar(s), a workshop, written comments directly to the Department and through existing meetings where possible. Additional opportunities for input may be considered where possible. Additional information on how and when feedback may be provided to DFO will be communicated widely through a letter to First Nations and stakeholders using existing distribution lists and Fisheries Notices.

The general approach to the engagement will be to use structured deliberation on the pros and cons of different options from the point of view of a wide variety of interested parties. The intent is to understand the relative preferences and risk tolerance of different participants, as well as the underlying reasons for those perspectives. Where appropriate, some semi-quantitative methods for eliciting feedback from participants may be considered (e.g., choice preferences, ranking methods, etc.). The Department plans to engage participants and solicit feedback through the following pathways:

• Engagement pathway #1 – webinar(s): up to two short webinars (2-3 hrs.) will be held in spring 2018, prior to a planned workshop. These webinars are intended to provide information to First Nations and stakeholders and offer a broad opportunity for feedback.
• Engagement pathway #2– workshop: a two-day workshop with DFO staff, PSC Southern Panel and Coho Technical Committee members, and invited First Nations and stakeholder representatives. The structure and task process has not yet been developed. However, it could potentially include Tier 1, Tier 2 and/or Tier 3 sessions designed to elicit perspectives on (a) perceived impacts of different alternatives, (b) risk tolerance, and (c) the relative preferences among the options being explored for different groups. We plan to hold the workshop in April – further details will be communicated to participants once available.
• Engagement pathway #3 – via existing fishery planning meetings: the discussion paper and a feedback template will be available for DFO team members to incorporate into existing and relevant meetings and processes during February to April.
• Engagement pathway #4 – feedback submitted directly to DFO: Interested parties unable to participate in any of the engagement mechanisms listed above, or wishing to provide additional information, can provide feedback directly to the Department. Details of this process will be communicated within the final discussion paper as well as Fisheries Notice and through Department distribution lists.

Engagement questions

The specific questions we will be asking participants are being finalized. As the specific questions are defined, we will develop a structured feedback template, questionnaire or survey to accompany the discussion paper. The goal is to provide a common foundation across the different mechanisms, so that each opportunity to gain additional feedback will target the same questions and same type of input.

6.0 Documentation and reporting of outcomes

Feedback received through all engagement mechanisms and direct submission will be documented and compiled in a summary report. The use of a single discussion paper, a common set of directed questions and a common template for providing feedback will ensure consistent and comparable input across engagement sessions.

The final engagement report, to be developed by ESSA, will summarize the process, the content that was reviewed and a synthesis of input received. It will aim to represent the breadth of the issues and concerns raised through the engagement process but it is not intended to reproduce the details of all the feedback received. The report will communicate where there were areas of convergence or divergence in the level of support for different options among participants. Ultimately the report will serve to document the results of the engagement process in order to inform the decisions of the Government of Canada, but it is not intended to provide explicit recommendations as to what those decisions should be. The final document will be made available to the public.

7.0 Schedule

Please note that the Engagement Plan is intended to provide multiple mechanisms for providing feedback. The Department will need to manage the size of the planned workshop to balance the objectives of ensuring that (a) all interested parties have the opportunity to have their interests represented at the workshop and (b) the overall number of participants is limited to a manageable size that will promote constructive review and discussion among the participants.

APPENDIX A. Project background

The current Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST) (Annex IV, Chapter 5) identifies four Southern BC Coho management units (MU): Interior Fraser River (including Thompson), Lower Fraser, Strait of Georgia Mainland, and Strait of Georgia Vancouver Island. The objective of the bilateral Canada/US Southern Coho Management Plan, outlined in Annex IV, Chapter 5 of the Treaty, is to manage total fishery exploitation to enable MUs to produce Maximum Sustainable Harvest (MSH) over the long term, while maintaining the genetic and ecological diversity of the component populations and to improve long-term prospects for sustaining healthy fisheries in both countries. The current Coho chapter requires the development of the escapement goal or exploitation rate (ER) that achieves MSH; as well as ER caps for 3 status categories, Low, Moderate and Abundant for each MU.

Previous work to address these requirements funded by the PSC's Southern Endowment Fund (SEF) include development of a pilot Coho harvest optimization model by Ecometric Research Inc. in 2005 in collaboration with the PSC Coho Technical Committee (CoTC), and work undertaken by LGL Ltd and Ecometric Research in 2014 that examined a habitat-based method to obtain the desired reference points and allowable exploitation. Both of these projects identified that the lack of escapement data was preventing the determination of escapement benchmarks that could then be used to establish reference points.

The current project builds on this earlier work by exploring alternative assessment methods that make use of marine survival or productivity patterns either separately or in combination with other metrics to establish benchmarks for determining the biological status of Canadian MUs. In addition, analytical tools will be developed to enable the evaluation of a range of exploitation rate caps under alternative assumptions about future marine survival or productivity. The preparation of a report documenting this body of work and the subsequent review through DFO's CSAS (Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat) process constitutes Phase 1 of the project.

Phase 2 of the project, also funded by the SEF, involves using the outputs from this analytical work to inform an engagement process that will assess the pros and cons of alternative approaches to assessing MU status and setting corresponding fishery reference points and ER caps. Engagement will be informed by a discussion paper and involve focused webinars and workshops as well as making use of existing advisory processes to solicit feedback.