Articles, Letters, Meeting Notes, Press Releases, Steelhead in the News
Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline Brief
The Enbridge Northern Gateway project consists of two parallel pipelines between an inland terminal at Bruderheim, Alberta and a marine terminal near Kitimat, BC, each with a length of 1,177 kilometers (731 mi). Diluted bitumen (dilbit) produced from oil sands, would be transported from Bruderheim to Kitimat, while natural gas condensate would move in the opposite direction in a smaller pipeline.
A statistic from the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) states: ‘’ It should also be noted that pipelines in Alberta have never been safer. In 2009, Alberta posted a record-low pipeline failure rate of 1.7 pipeline failures per 1,000 km of pipeline (considering all substances), bettering the previous record-low of 2.1 set in both 2008 and 2007.’’ Source
Please see attachment for the full brief and a sample letter.
Presentation to the JRP for the Enbridge Northen Gateway Project Commission
On May 8th, the Northen Branch presented to the Joint Review Panel for the Enbridge Northen Gateway Project Commission. The link below contains a transcript of presentations. Submissions 2, 3 and 4 (pages 14 - 28) are from members Jim Clup, Rob Brown, and Brian Kean.
Spius Creek Fish Habitat Restoration Project
-----COMPLETED-----
A proposed project to undertake 3 fish habitat restoration sites on Spius Creek was outlined in 2011,
at the request of the Steelhead Society of BC. The project location was recommended by DFO as a
strong candidate site providing potential benefits to spawning and rearing Steelhead and other
salmonids. The project was also recommended by FRISP as a strong local candidate based on their
experience with other nearby fish habitat restoration projects undertaken in the area. A project design
was completed for the Steelhead Society following an onsite review and consultation with the
landowner who was very interested in undertaking the project in cooperation with the Steelhead
Society. The project design was submitted to Steelhead Society of BC for funding consideration.
Funding approval was provided in January, 2012 after a successful fundraising campaign.
The equipment and materials necessary to undertake the project were organized in February, 2012.
The project was permitted and onsite construction activity was undertaken in late February-early
March, 2012. In the original 2011 project design, three restoration sites were listed as part of the
project, including two adjacent high priority streambank sites and a third site with the potential to
upgrade off-channel habitat values that was located nearby.
The following summary describes the work that was undertaken and the as-built products that have
resulted. An extensive photo series is also included to provide construction detail for future
reference.
Kokish Letters Needed Now
British Columbia's Kokish River Steelhead need your help to stop a large scale IPP development on the East Coast of Vancouver Island near Telegraph Cove. This project will divert 10km of salmon habitat into a intake pipe, and a further 17 surrounding streams would be impacted by its construction and operations.
Letter to DFO Farlinger re Johstone Strait Commercial Chum Fisheries
September 26th, 2011
Ms. Sue Farlinger
Regional Director General
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Suite 200 – 401 Burrard Street
Vancouver, B.C. V6C 3S4
(by email)
Dear Ms. Farlinger,
Re: Announcement of Johnstone Strait Derby Chum Openings
Dear Ms. Farlinger,
The Steelhead Society of B.C. (SSBC) is very alarmed at the recent announcement by Greg Hornby, DFO Resource Manager, Campbell River, of the derby style commercial chum openings for Johnstone Straight in this coming week.
As you arelikely aware, these mixed stock commercial chum fisheries can have a devastating effect on Interior B.C. Fraser River fall-run steelhead stocks which co-migrate with Fraser River bound chum salmon.
Evidence of the detrimental impact these Johnstone Strait fisheries represent can be found in Bison 2011 (abstract) which states that: “With the closure of the Thompson sport fishery, all of the material fishing mortality on Thompson steelhead during the 2010 fishing season remains in the form of by-catch mortality in salmon directed purse seine and gillnet fisheries. The dominant factor influencing the overall fishing mortality rate index was diversion rate. This result is consistent with relatively low levels of chum fishing effort in the US fishing areas along the southern migration route in comparison to effort levels along the Johnston Strait migration route.”
Further, Bison 2011 (p.2) indicates that “Some southern BC and Washington State salmon fisheries are known to intercept Thompson steelhead (Anonymous 1998). These fisheries are gillnet and purse seine fisheries and in most cases, these fisheries target chum salmon. The potential fishing mortality resulting from the combined effect of these fisheries can far exceed thatwhich is administered by catch and release sport fishing (Anonymous 1998).”
For the past three of four years the Thompson River steelhead sport fishery has remained closed due to extreme low returns of steelhead, last year an estimated 500 steelhead, the lowest on record. These closures, tied to the Integrated Fisheries Management Plan, have had a devastating effect on local Interior B.C. economies and are effectively removing a once-vibrant, internationally significant sport fishery from public memory.
Given the preceding, and with the knowledge that legally, derby style commercial fisheries must be opened to all commercial gear types, the SSBC is left with few options but to strongly recommend that the announcements of the Johnstone Strait chum fisheries scheduled for this coming week immediately be rescinded and, further, that these derby style fisheries remain closed. For your department to do any less makes a mockery of Canada’s commitment to the Wild Salmon Policy.
A viable alternativeto the proposed mixed stock non-selective Johnstone Strait chum fishery would be a terminal fishery that utilizes demonstrated selective harvest techniques such as beach seines or carefully monitored small-meshed tangle tooth nets.
Yours truly,
Greg Gordon (for)
Brian Braidwood
President
c.c. by email
Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans <Min@dfo-mpo.gc.ca>
Honourable Steve Thomson, Minister B.C. FLNRO FLNR.Minister@gov.bc.ca
Honourable Terry Lake BC Minister of Environment ENV.minister@gov.bc.ca
Ms. Rebecca Reid, DFO Regional Director <rebecca.reid@dfo-mpo.gc.ca>
Mr. Don Radford, DFO Area Director South Coast <don.radford@dfo-mpo.gc.ca>
Mr. Greg Hornby, DFO Resource Manager Campbell River <greg.hornby@dfo-mpo.gc.ca>
Mr. Barry Rosenberger, DFO Area Director BC Interior <barry.rosenberger@dfo-mpo.gc.ca>
Ms. Jody Shimkus, Assistant Deputy Minister BC FLNRO < Jody.Shimkus@gov.bc.ca>
Mr. Andrew Wilson Manager Fisheries Management MFLNRO <Andrew.Wilson@gov.bc.ca>
Mr. Colin Masson, DFO Marine Conservation Caucus salmon committee <MassonC@pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca>
Mr. Mark Saunders, DFO Marine Conservation Caucus salmon committee <SaundersM@pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca>
Dr. Craig Orr, Watershed Watch Salmon Society <wwss@telus.net>
Mr. Rob Bison, Fisheries Stock Assessment Biologist B.C. FLNRO <Robert.Bison@gov.bc.ca>
Mr. Steve Mathews, Fish and Wildlife Section Head B.C. FLNRO <Steve.Matthews@gov.bc.ca>
Mr. Rod Clapton, President BC Federation of Drift Fishers <rodney.a.clapton@sunlife.com>
Mr. Perry Wilson, President BCFFF <pwilson@northlandfly.com>
Mr. Jon Pew, Inland Fisheries Chair BCWF jpew@telus.net
Mr. Stephen Rice Spences Bridge steverice53@msn.com
Mr. Mark Hume, Globe and Mail <mhume@globeandmail.com>
Mr. Robert Koopmans, Kamloops Daily News <rkoopmans@kamloopsnews.ca>
Mr. Scott Simpson, Vancouver Sun <SSimpson@vancouversun.com>
Letter to Ms. Sue Farlinger, Regional Director General - Fisheries and Oceans Canada
June 30, 2011
Ms. Sue Farlinger
Regional Director General
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Suite 200 – 401 Burrard Street
Vancouver, B.C. V6C 3S4
(by email and Royal Mail)
Dear Ms. Farlinger,
Re: May 10/11 Shimkus letter to Farlinger reference 176204 (attached)
In reference to the letter above, the Steelhead Society of BC (SSBC or Society) appreciates that, in
accordance with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification process, the Province of B.C.
and your department appears to be examining ways of further reducing or eliminating incidental
interception of Fraser and Skeena bound steelhead in non selective market fisheries.
The Society also appreciates the efforts your department has undertaken in the past to minimize the
impact of commercial fisheries upon steelhead populations through time and area closures and other
initiatives.
Given the perilous status of fall-run Fraser River steelhead stocks, however, the SSBC remains vitally
concerned that such measures may not be adequate. Therefore, the Society is in agreement with
the province that additional restrictions are warranted on commercial fisheries that may have an
impact upon commingling steelhead stocks. Further, in the SSBC’s opinion, such restrictions must be
undertaken irrespective of the MSC process and on a much broader scale to adequately protect other
vulnerable fish stocks like Dean River steelhead.
The SSBC is also in agreement with the province about the use of selective live harvesting in those
salmon fisheries where incidental interception of steelhead stocks is problematic. Through the more
pragmatic and timely implementation of selective live harvesting methodologies, market opportunity is
maintained, upstream economic activity is maximized, while identifiable non-target fish stocks, such as
steelhead, are preserved.
The Society also shares the concerns of the province regarding the notion that gillnets, through the
use of the “short net, short set” practise, can be truly effective as a selective live-harvest methodology
given the poor survival rates of gill net released fish, the current paucity of effective enforcement and
monitoring and the likelihood of diminishing resources towards that end in the future.
You may be aware that the Society has long been an advocate of selective live-harvest in Pacific salmon
fisheries. To that end, in 1995, the SSBC published the booklet “Going backward to go forward: why
selective live harvesting is vital to the survival of Pacific salmon” (an e-version can be found at http:/
/issuu.com/going-backward/docs/going_backward). This document, and the harvest methodologies
described therein, remains relevant today, perhaps more so, as some steelhead stocks appear to
dwindle towards extirpation.
As was the case in 1995, once again, the Society maintains that the implementation of selective live
harvest methodologies in the Pacific salmon fishery are necessary not only to preserve Fraser and
Skeena steelhead to meet MSC certification requirements but, additionally, wherever the interception
of weak fish stocks is problematic.
Lastly, the SSBC is in agreement with the Province of B.C. that the time to act is now and that, given the
inconsistencies of accurate catch reporting in all salmon fisheries, current exploitation rate objectives do
not serve steelhead populations well.
The Society appreciates the opportunity to provide you input and looks forward to your earliest
response to both this letter and this dire situation.
Yours truly,
<Greg Gordon for>
Brian Braidwood,
President
Enclosure: 176204 Farlinger.pdf
c.c. Minister Steve Thomson, BC Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations <email>
Ms. Jody Shimkus, ADM BC Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations <email>
Mr. Colin Masson, DFO Marine Conservation Caucus salmon committee <email>
Mr. Don Radford, DFO Marine Conservation Caucus salmon committee <email>
Mr. Mark Saunders, DFO Marine Conservation Caucus salmon committee <email>
Copyright 2011 Steelhead Society of BC
Photographs courtesy of Aaron Goodis
Photographs courtesy of Aaron Goodis
