Wild Salmon Policy 2018 to 2022 Implementation Plan:
Annual Report 2019 to 2020

On this page

• Executive summary
• Introduction and context
• Overall Progress on WSP implementation
• WSP activity highlights
• Update on other Pacific salmon initiatives over 2019-20
• The state of Pacific salmon and measuring departmental performance
• WSP Moving Forward: 2020-21
• Conclusion
• Annex A: Wild Salmon Policy Implementation Resources and Acronyms
• Annex B: WSP Implementation Tracker

Executive summary

On October 11, 2018, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the Coast Guard, released the Wild Salmon Policy 2018-2022 Implementation Plan (the Plan). This document outlines 9 overarching approaches and 48 actions the Department is committed to undertaking and leading on over this five year period in order to implement Canada’s Policy for Conservation of Wild Pacific Salmon – also known as the Wild Salmon Policy (WSP). In the spirit of ‘what gets measured, gets done’, and in line with the Government of Canada’s commitment to openness and transparency, the Plan includes DFO’s commitment to performance review, including annual public reporting on the status and progress of key actions. While annual review of work plans and post-season operations happens as a normal course of business, the public reporting on the status of activities in the Plan keeps partners and the public informed of progress in a timely manner, provides early warning of challenges that need to be addressed, and reflects on lessons learned.

Over 2019-20, the Department has completed or made progress on all the overarching approaches and a number of key activities in the Plan that advance monitoring of wild salmon stocks, habitat and ecosystem assessment and monitoring, integrated strategic planning, program delivery, and continued collaboration with the Province of BC, First Nations, and other stakeholders.

This Annual Report highlights an overview of progress on activities, performance indicators, and provides the status of each activity, including information to provide context and mitigation strategies for activities that are delayed and/or facing challenging.

Introduction and context

Background

Wild Pacific salmon are an iconic part of the life and culture of west coast Canada. They hold tremendous value for natural ecosystems, cultural and spiritual practices, recreational enjoyment and jobs along the coast and inland watersheds of the Pacific Region. Pacific salmon are keystone species in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems. Many species of fauna and flora – from Resident Killer Whales to black bears to Douglas Fir – depend on migrating Pacific salmon for their survival and well-being. Salmon are also inextricably linked to Indigenous communities in British Columbia (BC) and Yukon, not only as a traditional food source, but also as a vital component of nutritional, spiritual, cultural, social and economic well-being. Finally, wild Pacific salmon support commercial and recreational fisheries that are a foundational part of the socio-economic fabric of the Pacific region. The business stemming from fishing activities – including fish processing, fish guiding, tackle shops, hotels, ecotourism, and restaurants, to name a few – ripple through the economy, creating additional jobs and income.

When it was released in fall 2018, the Plan outlined the overarching approaches and activities the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) was committed to undertaking over the next five years, including how it is using DFO’s scientific and management expertise to meet its responsibilities for the conservation of wild Pacific salmon. This work builds on thirteen years of work already undertaken by the Department and focuses on developing common guidance and standardized methods. Pacific salmon management is inherently complex with the impacts of climate change and other external factors adding new challenges.

In 2019-20, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Canadians in an unprecedented manner. The economic and social disruptions triggered by COVID-19 has affected fisheries management and conservation efforts at local, national, and global scales. The Department has adapted quickly to continue delivering critical services and operations. COVID-19 has also shifted the way Indigenous peoples, industry, environmental groups, and stakeholders are able to engage with DFO, though the Department continues to engage to the fullest extent possible employing new tools and approaches. As part of the Government of Canada's COVID-19 response plan, DFO has continued to focus efforts on maintaining essential services while advancing measures to minimize COVID-19 transmission.

The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of protecting Pacific salmon for all Canadians and is committed to taking effective action on this goal by adapting to new operational realities caused by COVID-19, implementing key legislative and regulatory changes, and working collaboratively with international, provincial and territorial, Indigenous, and local government partners.

Impacts from climate and environmental changes

Pacific salmon are responding to climate change in their marine and freshwater habitats. The Northeast Pacific Ocean is warming and recent marine heatwaves such as ‘The Blob’, a large mass of relatively warm water in the North East Pacific Ocean, are affecting food webs that Pacific salmon rely on. BC and the Yukon’s freshwater habitats are also warming and experiencing more extreme periods of rain and drought. The effects of climate change in freshwater are compounded by natural and human-caused landscape changes such as forest fires, human development, logging and agriculture. Although there can be exceptions, general salmon trends are emerging and include declining Chinook abundances throughout their range, declines in Sockeye and Coho particularly in southern Canadian latitudes, with Pink and Chum generally doing better.

Last year’s 2019 Pacific salmon returns were particularly poor for many salmon species and populations. Fraser Sockeye returns were the lowest on record. The climate effects on Fraser salmon were exacerbated by a natural landslide on the Fraser River near Big Bar, which was discovered in June 2019. The landslide blocked upstream passage of migrating adult Pacific salmon to their spawning grounds, and will impact future salmon returns. Historically, the Fraser River is one of the largest Pacific salmon producing system in the world. Work is ongoing to mitigate the effects of the landslide on salmon migration through a joint Federal-Provincial-First Nations response. Much progress has occurred and work will continue throughout 2020. DFO recognizes the continued need to collaborate with partners and stakeholders to manage Pacific salmon’s complex lifecycle considering these ongoing and evolving environmental challenges.

International context

The Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST) is the principal agreement that commits Canada and the United States (U.S.) to cooperate bilaterally on matters pertaining to the conservation, management and international allocation of Pacific salmon. The Treaty commits the Parties to cooperate on science, stock assessment, salmon enhancement, and to develop specific conservation and harvest sharing arrangements for specific salmon stocks and fisheries. These conservation and harvest sharing arrangements are outlined in several “fishing chapters” in Annex IV of the Treaty, which are organized by geographic area and/or salmon species, and are periodically renegotiated by the Parties (typically on a 10-year cycle).

Chapter 4, which addresses the management of Fraser River Sockeye and Pink salmon, expired on December 31, 2019. The Department supported the negotiations to renew this important chapter and Canadian-U.S. negotiators reached agreement-in-principle on proposed amendments in February 2019. Both governments agreed to the provisional application of the amendments as of January 1, 2020 while the ratification process is completed. The new amendments are expected to come into force in 2020 and will remain in place for 9 years.

Consultations were held with First Nations and stakeholders leading up to, and throughout, these negotiations. Moving forward, the Department continues to schedule consultation sessions and meetings, as needed, to identify, discuss, and help mitigate potential concerns regarding the agreement.

Importance of collaboration

Healthy Pacific salmon populations today and in the future depend on work being done by many important regulators, First Nations, communities and organizations. Accordingly, federal, provincial/territorial, local, and Indigenous partnerships are essential components of an integrated approach to Pacific salmon management and conservation. The jurisdictional framework for Pacific salmon includes separate legislated authorities for habitat management, integrated resource management, and land protection, as well as local management plans and zoning. Given this complex landscape, the Department works with different partners depending on the implicated authorities and the spatial scale of the activity being undertaken.

DFO’s work with partners on Pacific salmon and salmon habitat is guided by the Government of Canada’s commitment to a renewed, nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous peoples, and by several key policies including, among others, the Precautionary Approach and the Wild Salmon Policy. The principles of the Wild Salmon Policy – focusing on conservation, working with First Nations, making decisions that ensure sustainable use, and making decisions in an open and transparent process – guide the work the Department undertakes. The Plan focuses on a myriad of activities across the Department and the implementation of activities are often decentralized with accountabilities across multiple branches, programs and teams in the Department. This can present challenges as people look to the Department for guidance at a local level. In an effort to address this challenge, the Department continues to seek improvements in supporting staff at all levels and geographic areas to effectively engage with partners on Wild Salmon Policy related activities, while guidance tools are being developed.

While this report showcases progress on actions that the Department is taking or leading, DFO recognizes that partners across BC and Yukon are actively contributing themselves towards the Wild Salmon Policy goal to maintain and restore wild salmon populations. The Government of Canada recognized the interest from partners across BC, Yukon, and the rest of Canada to better protect fish and fish habitat through the modernization of the Fisheries Act.

Modernized Fisheries Act

On February 6, 2018, the Government of Canada introduced proposed amendments to restore lost protections and incorporate modern safeguards into the Fisheries Act. On June 21, 2019 the modernized Fisheries Act (FA) received royal assent and became law. The FA was developed following extensive consultations. The Department heard from Indigenous peoples, provincial and territorial governments, industry, stakeholders, and the public from across the country, who asked for strong, fair and clear legislation that protects Canada’s environment, oceans and water bodies. It was recognized that a healthy and sustainable fishing sector is of vital importance to Canada’s economy. Moving forward, there are two key aspects resulting from the modernized FA: the introduction of fish stock provisions for prescribed major fish stocks, and the creation of the Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program (FFHPP).

New fish stocks provisions

The Department is working towards implementing regulations that support the FA’s authority to prescribe fish stocks and their rebuilding plans. The FA contains fish stocks provisions, which establish binding commitments to implement measures for maintaining major fish stocks prescribed in regulation at levels necessary to promote sustainability. Additionally, for major stocks prescribed in regulation that are or become depleted, the provisions provide authority for the development and implementation of rebuilding plans. Work is ongoing to operationalize the authority of the FA through regulations.

Over 2020, the Department is expected to publish proposed regulations for new fish stock provisions and rebuilding plans in the Canada Gazette, Part I, for public comment. The proposed regulations are anticipated to promote the sustainability of prescribed Pacific salmon stocks and their habitat. The Department had consulted on the regulatory proposal during 2018-19, which included proposed amendments to the Fishery (General) Regulations: prescribing a group of major stocks (Batch 1) that will be subject to the new Fish Stocks provisions under the Fisheries Act, and; setting out the required contents and timelines for developing rebuilding plans that are required under the Fisheries Act.

The proposed Batch 1 list of stocks includes a mix of stocks currently in the healthy zone as described in DFO’s 2009 A Fishery Decision-Making Framework Incorporating the Precautionary Approach (PA Policy), as well as stocks for which DFO has already committed to develop and implement rebuilding plans for. Three Pacific salmon stocks proposed for consultation in December 2018 in Batch 1 are: West Coast Vancouver Island (WCVI) Chinook, Okanagan Chinook, and Southern inside Coho.

The required contents of the proposed rebuilding plans are based on DFO’s existing rebuilding policies, as described in the PA Policy and the 2013 Guidance for the development of rebuilding plans under the Precautionary Approach Framework: Growing stocks out of the critical zone. In addition, the FA legislation requires rebuilding plans be put in place within 24 months after the Minister has prescribed the stock in regulations if the stock is already below its Limit Reference Point (LRP), or within 24 months of the stock declining to or below the LRP.

Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program

The Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program (FFHPP) is a new program created to implement key elements of the new FA. FFHPP administers and ensures compliance for development projects taking place in and around fish habitat; the program’s authority is derived under the fish and fish habitat protection provisions of the FA and relevant provisions of the Species at Risk Act.

FFHPP focuses on 4 areas: regulatory review and advice, integrated planning, engagement and partnering, and Indigenous engagement. Integrated planning puts a focus on proactive activities covering a variety of initiatives aimed at identifying opportunities to work collaboratively with others to protect, conserve, and restore fish and fish habitat. Regulatory activities include conducting regulatory reviews and monitoring for projects in and near water for compliance with the Fisheries Act and the Species at Risk Act (SARA) and coordinating departmental advice into Impact Assessments (EAs) for projects under going federal impact assessments (IAA and YESAA). Engagement and partnering activities involve collaboration with Indigenous groups as well as provincial, territorial, and municipal / local governments on areas of shared interest to protect, conserve, and restore fish and fish habitat, and to deliver capacity funding through grants and contribution programing.

Overall progress on WSP implementation

Over the last year, a lot of work has been done to the activities outlined in the five-year WSP Implementation Plan. There has been a lot of success, as well as some new and ongoing challenges. Overall, 100% of the overarching approaches and 75% of the activities are either completed or on-track for 2019-20. This represents a continued effort by the Department, and signals DFO’s ongoing commitment to meeting the goal of the WSP to restore and maintain healthy and diverse salmon populations and their habitat.

For the 26 activities with a defined target completion date (the chart below), 62% are completed or on-track to be completed by their target date, with 38% delayed. For the 22 activities that will be ongoing (the purple chart below), 91% are on-track and are being routinely delivered as planned. Only 9% of ongoing activities are facing delivery challenges.

For detailed information on the overarching approaches and progress on individual WSP activities, including additional context and mitigation strategies, please see the Annex B at the end of this report.

For detailed information on the overarching approaches and progress on individual WSP activities, including additional context and mitigation strategies, please see the annex at the end of this report.

WSP activity highlights

While the Annex at the end of this report outlines the status of each activity, including many ongoing activities that have made progress this year, this section provides specific snapshots of WSP implementation for:

• activities targeted for completion in 2018-19, which had not been completed at the time of the 2018-19 Annual Report publication
• activities targeted for completion in 2019-20
• one activity completed ahead of its target completion date

2018-19 Activity highlights

Activity ID 16: Publish report on Risk Assessment Method for Salmon (RAMS) to assess potential for disturbance events or regimes in freshwater and marine ecosystems to control CU status and trend patterns

Delayed: The Risk Assessment Method for Salmon RAMS methodology is in the final stages of editing and revision. It is anticipated that additional resources will be allocated to support its publication in 2020. Despite the delay, key work related to this activity has been completed including six papers published by DFO since 2015, containing data used in RAMS development and to inform key workshops.

Activity ID 29: Map CUs, freshwater and marine ecosystems, Fishery Management Units, and Outlook Units to clarify connections and nesting

Delayed: Work to map and link CUs and stock management units (SMU) is currently underway. Also now linked and part of Fisheries Act implementation, work is being done to streamline CU maps and define stock management units (SMUs). Further, FFHPP is looking into options to define and link ecosystems aggregates for planning purposes. In the immediate term, a new staff position has been created to support this work, by contributing to the mapping of CUs and assisting with clarifying connections between units.

2019-20 Activity highlights

While Annex B at the end of this report outlines the status of each activity, including many ongoing activities that have made progress this year, this section provides snapshots on WSP implementation for the 8 activities targeted for completion this fiscal year (April 2019 - March 2020), as well as an additional activity that has been completed in advance of its targeted completion year, and new initiatives announced.

Progress on plan activities with a target completion date by March 31, 2020

Activity ID 6: Apply and refine an approach for identifying and prioritizing CUs or groups of CUs for biological status assessments

Delayed: Work is underway on several fronts for status assessments including documentation and development of management and assessment frameworks focused on stock management units (groups of CUs) that comprise both data-rich and data limited frameworks, and the development of methodology to determine limit reference points in data limited situations. This work will be useful for groups of CUs with limited individual CU information and synoptic CU assessments. The Department is currently working to compile broader information to move forward.

Activity ID 17: Publish report(s) on results from initial application(s) of RAMS from one or more workshops (e.g. Cowichan Chinook, Barkley Sockeye)

Delayed: The RAMS Cowichan Workshop Report is nearing completion. DFO Science staff are currently working with the report’s lead author to finalize the report, with a goal to publish the report later in 2020, in tandem with the RAMS method report noted in Activity 16.

Activity ID 23: Develop options and recommended actions through the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project to address human threats and biological limiting factors affecting survival of Chinook and Coho in the Salish Sea

Delayed: This activity is delayed as the timing of multi-lateral meetings between DFO, U.S. officials, First Nations, and stakeholders to synthesize the results of the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project did not provide sufficient time to complete the activities’ objectives. However, in 2019, synthesizing the various research projects was identified as key priority; a synthesis meeting to finalize the writing of the final papers took place in December 2019 and January 2020. The key topics for synthesis papers were identified and the synthesis papers are currently in preparation with submission for publication expected in 2020. The synthesis papers will support completing this activity’s objectives.

Over the projects five years of operation there has been over 30 papers and reports published on various components of the research program including topics on ocean conditions, zooplankton, predators and changes in salmon populations over the past decades. Moving forward, the juvenile salmon information provided through this project supports part of DFO-Science’s core annual juvenile salmon monitoring program. The information provided by the 5-year study will assist in targeting monitoring activities to address key bottlenecks or mortality periods of the juvenile salmon in their marine environment at a species or stock level.

Activity ID 34: Document SEP program activity by CU (enhancement, community involvement, habitat restoration)

Delayed: All hatchery enhancement is documented in a regional database by CU. Work has been advanced to document community involvement and habitat restoration activities by watershed because they often benefit multiple species across CUs; however, challenges remain to identify a sustainable and consistent long-term system to manage community involvement and habitat restoration information. The Salmonid Enhancement Program (SEP) has dedicated staff and hired support from consultants towards this effort but this work is delayed due to a variety of competing operational priorities limiting SEP’s capacity for this activity.

Activity ID 35: Continue to implement transparent planning process for hatchery production taking into account the WSP objectives of wild salmon conservation and sustainable fisheries

Completed: The Salmonid Enhancement Program’s (SEP) integrated production planning process has been integrated into the department’s broader annual Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP) consultation process. Annual IFMP consultations are led by Fisheries Management; SEP’s hatchery production is now included in this consultation. This process is further described in the document "SEP production planning: a framework".

Activity ID 37: Continue to co-lead the genomic research for the Strategic Salmon Health Initiative

Completed: DFO is continuing to co-lead the Strategic Salmon Health Initiative with significant work completed over 2019-20, including nine primary articles published in 2019. Overall, the program has amassed over 30 peer reviewed publications to date. The program will continue work through the end of 2020 to develop a synthesis paper hallmarking the key findings of the program, and a workshop will be held to rank pathogenic potential of all of the agents studied to identify which understudied agents should be followed up with disease challenge studies.

Genomics research to date has led to the 1) discovery of over a dozen newly characterized viruses in salmon, 2) identification of infectious agents and genomic signatures associated with migratory survival of juvenile and adult salmon, 3) determination that temperature is a major driver of infection in wild salmon, and 4) identification of infectious agents associated with new or emerging diseases on salmon farms. A new salmon Fit-Chip technology was developed within the program to provide a holistic measure of the cumulative and synergistic interactions between stress and disease impacting salmon survival. This tool can identify the presence of multiple types of environmental stressors, disease states, as well as smolt readiness for hatchery applications.

Moving forward, model results exploring eight to ten years of infectious agent data will be published for Chinook, Sockeye and Coho salmon. These models identify infectious agents associated with each species, as well as associations between infection and environmental variables. The results are also further resolving pathogenic potential of new or understudied agents.

Activity ID 39: Review requirements for salmon farms to ensure risks to wild salmon are minimized

Completed: The Framework for Aquaculture Risk Management (FARM) was finalized in October 2019 and the Framework on the Transfer of Live Fish, which provides guidance on disease management in response to the 'Namgis/Morton Court decision, was finalized in October 2019. DFO is continuing work related to this activity and have revised license conditions pertaining to sea lice with provisions for enhanced enforceability; the changes were issued on March 1, 2020. Moving forward, there is increased consideration for wild salmon/farmed interactions through the ongoing Introductions and Transfers Committee (ITC) process.

Activity ID 44: Continue to implement transparent decision-making framework for hatchery production in fishery planning processes that takes into account WSP objectives, balancing of risks of genetic effects, and the socio-economic benefits of increased stock abundance

Completed: The Salmonid Enhancement Program’s (SEP) integrated production planning process has been integrated into the IFMP consultation process. Annual IFMP consultations are led by Fisheries Management and continue to be undertaken, and SEP’s hatchery production is included in these consultations. This process is described in the document "SEP production planning : a framework". The framework considers WSP objectives and balances the genetic risks of enhancement on wild Pacific salmon populations with the socio-economic benefit of increased stock abundance. It is also now used in conjunction with A Biological Risk Management Framework for Enhancing Salmon in the Pacific Region and other supporting guidance material to guide DFO-SEP enhancement decisions.

Additionally, DFO’s Science branch’s advice "Genetically Based Targets for Enhanced Contributions to Canadian Pacific Chinook Salmon Populations" on the genetic implications of enhanced salmon on wild Chinook populations was received and moving forward work will shortly be underway to develop genetic guidelines and assess current impacts (Activity 45). This work will also be consulted as part of future IFMPs.

Progress on Activity Completed before its Target Completion Year

Activity ID 43: Develop explicit biological goals for hatchery-influence on populations

Completed: While this activity is not targeted for completion until June 1, 2020, it has been completed and delivered in advance, during fiscal year 2019-20. The Salmonid Enhancement Program, supported by DFO’s Science branch, contributed to publishing the CSAS paper "Genetically Based Targets for Enhanced Contributions to Canadian Pacific Chinook Salmon Populations". This paper contains biological goals for hatchery or hatchery-influenced Chinook salmon populations. Moving forward, work is underway for the development of genetic management guidelines to translate this CSAS input into DFO operations.

Update on other Pacific salmon initiatives over 2019-20

The past year has again been an eventful year for Pacific salmon. Climate change is affecting Pacific salmon’s marine and freshwater habitat, many populations are declining, and in the Spring of 2019 a major landslide was discovered near Big Bar, blocking upper Fraser salmon and steelhead migration. The Department is continually evaluating current approaches and considering innovative ways to advance the protection of wild Pacific salmon.

Southern BC Chinook Planning Committee

In April 2019, as part of the 2019 Chinook management measures announcement, the Minister announced the development of a targeted engagement process with First Nations, the Province of BC, and stakeholders to provide advice and recommendations on approaches to address the broad range of issues facing Chinook stocks. In response to this announcement, the Department initiated the Southern BC Chinook Planning Committee to provide advice and recommendations on specific actions to address issues facing Southern BC Chinook stocks.

Over 2019-20, the Committee met on several occasions to discuss planning priorities, scope of work, and roles and responsibilities that will best assist longer term planning. These discussions have confirmed broad multi-party support for working towards long-term approaches to support goals for Southern BC Chinook; however, further ongoing discussion is required to clarify the scope of the work and the Committee’s terms of reference.

Fraser Salmon Management Council

In July 2019, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the president of the newly created Fraser Salmon Management Council (FSMC) signed the Fraser Salmon Management Agreement. The agreement was ratified by more than 80% of the FSMC’s 76 Signatory Nations. FSMC membership includes First Nations along the migratory route of Fraser salmon, including the Upper, Middle and Lower Fraser and Marine Approach (Vancouver Island) areas. The landmark agreement signals a significant change and opportunity for meaningful and innovative reconciliation work between DFO and Indigenous communities. The agreement provides a process for DFO and Indigenous communities to collaboratively manage Fraser salmon fisheries, by establishing a collaborative governance structure, increasing the direct participation of Indigenous peoples in fisheries management, and establishing principles to guide discussions on shared DFO and Indigenous priorities.

BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund update

The BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF) was launched on March 15, 2019. BCSRIF is a cost-shared federal/provincial program which seeks to invest $142.85 million over five years to support BC’s fish and seafood sector and ensure the sustainability of wild Pacific salmon and other BC fish stocks. The federal government provides 70% of the funding and 30% comes from the Province of BC. Funding is available for projects under three pillars: innovation, infrastructure, and science partnerships.

As of March 31, 2020, 23 projects were announced representing approximately $53 million. Several BCSRIF funded projects were designed to directly benefit wild Pacific salmon. Examples include the following:

• The University of British Columbia will lead a science partnership project to conduct research on improving the sustainability of marine recreational Pacific salmon capture and release fisheries.
• The Nature Trust of BC will undertake monitoring and research to assess estuary resilience to sea level rise and other climate impacts across the coast of BC, followed by restoration projects to restore core natural estuarine processes.
• The PSF will conduct a science-based review of hatcheries in the Pacific Region to evaluate performance and the effectiveness of current genetic and genomic tools with the goal to optimize salmon production in BC.

Funding priorities are collaboratively developed and approved by DFO and the Province of BC annually, to reflect key areas of each party's interests and support current government priorities.

Supporting science through Pacific Salmon Treaty implementation

On September 6, 2019, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard announced $15 million in additional annual funding to support wild Pacific salmon research and management, as part of PST implementation. The funding supports three specific activities to assist Pacific salmon research and management including: stock assessment; coded-wire tagging (CWT) and recovery; and catch monitoring and reporting.

The three activities focus on improving our understanding of climate change, harvest, and other factor’s impacting wild Pacific salmon stocks. Additional stock assessment activities are intended to achieve high resolution information on the abundance, distribution, productivity, and health of salmon stocks. This work is expected to lead to improved fishery access and effective science-based conservation. Further, enhanced coded-wire tagging and recovery programs are expected to provide better estimates of harvest impacts and help determine salmon survival, fishery interception and exploitation, and distribution parameters of indicator stocks. Lastly, improved catch monitoring and reporting, including catch sampling and analytical support, are anticipated to provide better estimates of salmon harvest.

These investments support commitments made by the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard to use scientific evidence and traditional Indigenous knowledge when making decisions affecting fish stocks and ecosystem management, and contributes to meeting obligations under the renewed Treaty. These investments will also ensure the Department is working closely with First Nations and other stakeholders to better manage Pacific salmon fisheries and improve our understanding of trends in salmon stocks to ensure the conservation and sustainability of Pacific salmon.

Response to the Big Bar landslide

A significant landslide was reported in June 2019 on a remote stretch of the Fraser River near Big Bar, north of Lillooet, BC, which obstructed the return of some Fraser River salmon to spawning grounds in the upper Fraser River watershed for the 2019-20 season. Over summer 2019, DFO worked in collaboration with Indigenous partners and the Province of British Columbia on the emergency response at the Big Bar landslide. The collaborative efforts to clear the blockage will continue through 2020. As of March 31, 2020, the Department has spent approximately $25.4 million to date to improve fish passage.

On December 31, 2019, DFO announced that the engineering company Peter Kiewit Sons ULC was awarded a $17.6 million contract to undertake extensive winter rock remediation work at the landslide site before river levels begin to rise in the spring. The work includes blasting and removing rock at the site of the landslide to improve passage for Pacific salmon and steelhead stocks during the May through November migration season. Additionally, planning for other fish transport methods, to be used during the 2020 Fraser salmon migration season, was initiated including methods to assist passage of salmon above the slide site. Emergency conservation enhancement planning was also launched.

Winter work started in mid-January and included blasting a series of large boulders, widening the channel and removing in-river rock to help reduce the effects of the slide. Moving forward, immediate spring 2020 work will include building a “nature-like” fishway on the west side of the landslide, construction of a concrete fish ladder, and installing a pneumatic fish pump system (the Whoosh Passage Portal™) to move salmon past the barrier. These measures and infrastructure are intended to support fish passage at various flow rates.

Salmon Allocation Policy review

This past year, the Department embarked on a collaborative process with First Nations and stakeholders to review and update the 1999 Pacific Salmon Allocation Policy (SAP). This process of updating the SAP is being conducted in a manner that respects Canada’s Nation-to-Nation relationship with Indigenous peoples and engages stakeholders.

The existing Policy sets out a series of principles for allocating salmon in BC among the three harvest groups (First Nations food, social and ceremonial; commercial; and recreational) and within the commercial fishery among gear types (gillnet, seine and troll). This policy guides the prioritization of annual domestic allocations of salmon harvested in B.C. and the Yukon, along with legal obligations to First Nations under the Constitution and treaties, and Canada’s international obligations under the PST.

Since the SAP was first adopted twenty years ago, there have been significant changes to fisheries management policy and Aboriginal rights. For example, presently treaties and reconciliation agreements are being signed and implemented. There have also been increased conservation requirements for stocks of concern, as salmon returns have increasingly become more uncertain. In the recent BC Supreme Court Ahousaht decision, the SAP principle of priority of allocation to the recreational fishery for Chinook and Coho over the rights-based fishery of five Nuu-chah-nulth Nations (Ahousaht, Ehattesaht/Chinekint, Hesquiaht, Mowachaht/ Muchalaht, and Tla-o-qui-aht) was found to be an unjustified infringement of their Aboriginal rights.

The Department has initiated a phased approach to develop an updated Salmon Allocation Policy for BC involving a high degree of collaboration with First Nations, the recreational and commercial fishing sectors. Anticipated phases include: (1) collaborative development of a Terms of Reference for process and scope of policy review; (2) information gathering, sharing of perspectives through broad engagement and conducting analysis to support the development of options; (3) collaborative development and consideration of options to best meet objectives and interests; and (4) collaborative development of recommendations.

The review process is currently in Phase 1, the collaborative development of a draft terms of reference for the review. An independent facilitator has been hired to support this collaborative process and there is a website for information on the review process. In June 2019, an initial letter regarding the review was sent to the five Nuu-chah-nulth Nations (Ahousaht, Ehattesaht/Chinekint, Hesquiaht, Mowachaht/ Muchalaht, and Tla-o-qui-aht), all other B.C. First Nations, the First Nations Fisheries Council (FNFC), the Sport Fishing Advisory Board (SFAB), the Commercial Salmon Advisory Board (CSAB) and the Province of British Columbia.

Engagement since the June 2019 letter has included meetings between the independent facilitator, the Department, the five Nuu-chah-nulth Nations (Ahousaht, Ehattesaht/Chinekint, Hesquiaht, Mowachaht/ Muchalaht, and Tla-o-qui-aht), a working group assembled by the First Nations Fisheries Council with participants from Indigenous aggregate organizations, other interested First Nations, CSAB and SFAB. These discussions have informed the development of an initial draft of the terms of reference. A key next step will be broad consultations with all BC First Nations and interested stakeholders on the draft terms of reference later in 2020.

A concurrent process to review the Salmon Allocation Policy in the Yukon is also underway.

The state of Pacific salmon and measuring departmental performance

In order to understand if the activities committed to in the Plan were leading to improved conditions for salmon populations and their habitats, DFO committed to reporting on key performance indicators within the Plan’s annual reports. Quantitative performance indicators are intended to complement qualitative and narrative data, as well as the work being conducted in various science forums. The combined data can provide a more holistic picture of what the Department has achieved, areas requiring improvement, and the way forward.

State of Pacific salmon over 2019-20

In 2019, DFO published the State of the Salmon report. This report integrated scientific information on Pacific salmon, with freshwater and marine ecosystem trends. The intent of this initiative was to link overall salmon trends to climate and habitat changes, and to provide early insight into the vulnerability of these populations to changing environmental conditions.

Figure 1: recent trends in salmon numbers

Some general patterns in Canadian Pacific salmon abundances are emerging, concurrent with climate and habitat changes. Chinook numbers are declining throughout their BC and Yukon range, and Sockeye and Coho numbers are declining, most notably at southern latitudes. Salmon that spend less time in freshwater, like river-type Sockeye, ocean-type Chinook, odd year Pink, and Chum are generally not exhibiting declines. There are exceptions to all these trends. Finally, catch numbers for Pacific Salmon have generally declined since the early 1990s.

Figure 2: commerical catch of Canadian Pink, Chum, Sockeye, Coho and Chinook salmon (Grant et al. 2019c; NPAFC statistics). Average catch from 1925 to 1993 was 30 million, and from 1994 to 2017 was 15 million.

Key performance indicators

As part of DFO’s suite of programs contributing to wild salmon conservation, the Department has already identified and reports on a number of performance indicators on an ongoing basis. These indicators support a greater understanding of the Department’s overall efforts on assessment and monitoring, as well as integrated strategic planning to support the restoration and maintenance of healthy salmon populations and their habitats. This information is included in the key performance indicator table below. DFO will continue to refine these key performance indicators, and develop new indicators as required to better articulate progress.

WSP moving forward: 2020-21

2020-21 will be another exciting year, as many activities due for completion in 2020-21 build on current achievements. The activities below are a snapshot of the work that the Department will undertake. By continuing to deliver on these activities, the Department will be well-placed to support the sustainability of wild Pacific salmon to 2022, and for generations to come.

Look ahead to activities targeted for completion in 2020-21

Assessment

Next year’s activities under this theme are largely focused on assessment of habitat status and inclusion of ecosystem values and monitoring strategies.

Maintaining and rebuilding stocks

The WSP recognizes that restoring and maintaining healthy and diverse salmon populations and habitats requires a coordinated focus on planning for these stocks – from fisheries management decisions, enhancement actions, to habitat considerations. Next year’s activities under this theme focus on strategic planning work for rebuilding chinook populations and developing explicit biological goals to understand hatchery Pacific salmon’s influence on wild Pacific salmon populations. With the WSP guiding the delivery of these activities, the Department will continue to integrate and align work across sectors to deliver on these activities and work towards the overall goal of maintaining and restoring wild Pacific salmon populations.

Accountability

On June 21, 2019 the new Fisheries Act received royal assent and became law. The new provisions and stronger protections will better support the sustainability of Canada’s marine resources for future generations. The modernized Fisheries Act contains safeguards to reflect the evolving nature of fish and habitat management. The amendments will precipitate regulatory, policy, and program changes which could impact salmon and salmon habitat management. The Department will be considering the potential addition of activities to the Implementation Plan, to reflect key changes to the Fisheries Act.

Meeting the goal of the Wild Salmon Policy is complex and the broader themes of Assessment, Maintaining and Rebuilding Stocks, and Accountability demonstrate that individual strategies are not autonomous. Successful integration of work under all themes is necessary to ensure its success. In addition to delivering on the targeted date activities listed above, DFO will continue to meet the nine overarching approaches and twenty-two ongoing activities.

Conclusion

The second year implementation of the Plan has seen both successes and some challenges, and steps have been put in place to continue the momentum. From co-leading the genomic research for the Strategic Salmon Health Initiative, to working collaboratively with the Province of BC, First Nations, and other stakeholders through key initiatives such as BCSRIF, DFO is continuing to move forward with our commitment to protect wild salmon populations, alongside key partners This work, along with the efforts by so many others in BC and Yukon, are important steps toward reaching the evergreen goal of restoring and maintaining diverse salmon populations for the benefit of the people and ecosystems of Canada in perpetuity. At the same time, ongoing environmental and climate change issues, plus unforeseen challenges, such as the Big Bar landslide and the COVID-19 pandemic, are contributing to the broader landscape within which salmon restoration and protection efforts are taking place. This requires us all to constantly be learning, reflecting and adapting our ongoing work, in order to restore and maintain healthy and diverse Pacific salmon populations and their habitat.

Moreover, the Department continues to recognize that the goal of the WSP cannot be achieved by DFO alone, and new and ongoing initiatives over the last year will help groups with an interest in wild Pacific salmon continue to undertake work to help Canada meet the goal.

Annex A: wild salmon policy implementation resources and acronyms

Resources

• Wild Salmon Policy
• Wild Salmon Policy 2018-2022 Implementation Plan
• Wild Salmon Policy Implementation Plan Highlights, 2005-2017
• International Year of the Salmon
• Government of Canada Open Data Portal
• Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk
• Framework for reviewing and approving revisions to CU descriptions
• Modernized Fisheries Act
• Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat
• CSAS Science Advisory Reports
  • Fraser River Sockeye
  • Southern BC Chinook
  • Interior Fraser River Coho
• State of the Salmon report

Abbreviations

• BCSRIF: BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund
• CSAS: Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat
• CU: Conservation Unit
• DFO: Department of Fisheries and Oceans / Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• FA: Fisheries Act
• FFHPP: Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program
• FSMC: Fraser Salmon Management Council
• RAMS: Risk Assessment Method for Salmon
• SAP: Salmon Allocation Policy
• SARA: Species At Risk Act
• WCVI: West Coast Vancouver Island
• NuSEDS: New Salmon Escapement Database Systems
• PSF: Pacific Salmon Foundation
• PST: Pacific Salmon Treaty
• WSP: Wild Salmon Policy
• The Plan: Wild Salmon Policy 2018-2022 Implementation Plan

Annex B: WSP implementation tracker

This is the detailed companion document that outlines specific activity status and key work to date. Additionally, the below table will outline any challenges faced by activities and explains any mitigation strategy in place to restore activities that are ‘delayed’ or ‘facing challenges’ back to ‘on-track’ status.

Overall approaches

Activity tracker