Building a River Community

Year 2010
Proponent Fraser River Salmon Table Society
Project type Governance
Project type Engage First Nations
FSWP funding source DFO Fraser Basin Initiative
Grant amount $56,400.00
Total project value $173,900.00
ID number FSWP10-D98-P

Location: Fraser River Basin, Basin Wide

Project Summary

SUMMARY

The 2010/11 proposal seeks funding to continue this work “To build a river community”. Specifically to engage a greater formal collaboration with the 4 key constituent interests, fishery managers involved in planning (inland fishery, demonstration fisheries in particular &approach;fisheries). The work plan will pay specific attention to the capacity needs of each of the constituent interests to be effectively informed, and as desirable, able to work together to address the changes in the fishery.

OVERVIEW

The 2010/11 work plan will pay specific attention to the capacity needs of each of the constituent interests to work together to address the changes in the fishery, and to forge a stronger working relationships with DFO in Fisheries Reform in the Fraser River. The Salmon Table is seeking funding to develop specific plans to help the constituent interests get along on the river and share the resource, built upon a strong stewardship ethic. Among First Nations in particular, work will continue on “River to Plate” focusing on coordinating fishing plans among First Nations that protect FSC and conservation values; advance the traceability/monitoring collaborations that involve regulators and include further refinements on the “Virtual Warehouse”. As well the work will provide mentoring support for share-based fishery planning and business collaborations (First Nations and industry) that will help organize business networking required for sustainable salmon economic opportunities in-river and linked to marine fisheries plans in the future. A new programming component will focus more effort on planning with the sport fishery to work with First Nations and regulators to address salmon fishery changes associated with Pacific Fisheries Reform in-river. Programming will also continue work to develop an investment strategy for funds dedicated to Cultus sockeye recovery that may include broader funding partnerships and project investments in pike minnow removals, organizing a working group to address nutrient loading in Cultus Lake and testing new and innovative milfoil removal techniques.

The FRST has developed into a registered society, so now it has bi-monthly meetings of its executive, and quarterly general meetings of the Board, followed the next day by an open meeting for all interested parties to attend. Fiscal matters are now in order with an operational account and an investment account for granting funds arising from the 2006 Cultus recovery fund. The Salmon Table shares a home with Fenn Lodge at Harrison Mills with the Dutch Pacific Salmon Society, and has revolutionized cross-interest collaborations in the Pacific Salmon fishery.

1. Education and engagement of First Nations: The FRST actively invites and encourages First Nations (FN) participation both on the board and in the open meetings, use FN facilities throughout the watershed whenever possible, and seeks advance permission from FN leaders prior to gathering in their territory. The FRST works closely with the Sto:lo in the delivery of Cultus Lake restoration programming. The Fraser Valley Aboriginal Fisheries Society (FVAFS) has taken on the role of lead for the Cultus Lake recovery initiative-related First Nations training project. This will include involvement in all aspects of the recovery work and will address a myriad of small but essential aspects of the work. The FRST has also worked closely with First Nations involved in “Demonstration” fishery projects designed to experiment with new in-river commercial fisheries (see integrated planning and governance below) and has sponsored the evolving First Nations strategy for in-river commercial fisheries called “River to Plate” (see below). The work with the Intertribal First Nations Treaty (ITFT) process has evolved to supporting these active processes and reporting out to the ITFT forums. From this contribution, the political ITFT “Working Committee” will be informed and in a better position to facilitate negotiations among their members and with other sectors and make decisions intended to be transparent and accountable.

2.  Integrated planning and governance: A fundamental aspect and value of the FRST Society embody principles of integration, interdependence, and shared responsibility for governance. It is woven into all of FRST activities, and included in the FRST’s vision and mission statements (Attached). Importantly, the FRST has assisted First Nations to work together and with other interests to plan fisheries in the watershed. The completed plans were submitted by the First Nations to the Integrated Harvest Planning Committee (IHPC). The “Best Practices Forums” have provided a singularly unique forum for the leading First Nations to firstly develop fishing plans that target forecasted TAC while protecting conservation and FSC values, then to collaborate on share-based fisheries to navigate the regulatory labyrinth with various regulatory agencies for landing, transport, and marketing, and perhaps most significantly, to conduct pre-season and post-season review of their plans with regulators and other interests. Please see the report, “River to Plate: A First Nations Program Vision for Sustainable Economic Opportunities in Fraser River Salmon Fisheries” (Attached).

3. Habitat & water restoration and stewardship: Cultus Lake sockeye restoration fund administered in cooperation with the Sto:lo Tribal Council and the CSAB supported (2009) a project that commissioned a commercial seiner for Pike-minnow removal and co-sponsored a pikeminnow sport fishing derby. In 2008 the FRST also seed funded a study to examine a recovery feasibility study for sockeye in Takla Lake (a stock of early Stuart sockeye).

4. Improved information and approaches for sustainable integrated fisheries management: The FRST has participated in the Integrated Salmon Dialogue Forum and co-sponsored a Monitoring and Compliance Panel workshop in the lower Fraser River in 2009 that looked a the chum economic fishery and its interface with the area’s sport fishery. The field tour and open-space dialogue involved a cross section of area First Nations, sport and commercial fishing interests (Marine and in-river), and conservation groups who focused on traceability, incentives and disincentives to fishers for compliance, the effectiveness of current monitoring programs, and collaborative efforts for the future that could lead to more sustainable and integrated fisheries management.


OBJECTIVES

Objective #1 Build a River Community:
Assist constituents to build capacity to address fishery changes; resulting in more integrated fishing plans and the ability to debate and resolve competing interests.
Objective #2 Best Practices:
River to Plate is aimed at developing principles, practices and outcomes in the economic fishery that will ensure sustainability, traceability, and the creation of wealth.
Objective #3 Support capacity-building in each of the constituent interests:
Using Board appointments to ensure effective communications, information-sharing, engagement in practical, principled, and collaborative planning, and the development of governance structures that are transferable.
Objective #4 Cultus Sockeye restoration:
Utilizing a call for proposals the CSAB/Sto: lo sockeye recovery fund   will fund public and government projects addressing the core goals of milfoil/pike minnow removal and stewardship.


METHODS

1. Building a River Community:
* Support the sports fishing community in developing the ability to attend meetings and evaluate specific proposals to manage access to the resource as well as the river.
* Provide a structured and supportive forum to evolve the thinking around share based fishing for all interests.
* Engage all interests (public and private) in the development of a new fisheries management paradigm by building working relationship amongst parties that know very little about each other.
* Continue the work of acquiring new funding sources and partnerships
* The FRST will continue to organize public meetings that are seasonally topical and that rove around the watershed and salmon fisheries to effectively engage constituent interests.
2. Best Practices ~ River to Plate:
* The FRST Executive Director will continue to organize and facilitate best practices forums to assist First Nations in the Fraser River organize and implement demonstration fishery projects.
* Industry mentoring to ensure efficiency, cost reduction, viability and prosperity.
* The 4th annual River to Plate report on their activities is to be written describing progress and the key elements that are leading to a formal First Nations strategy by 2012.
3. Support capacity-building in each of the constituent interests:
* Using strategic Board appointments (Aboriginal, sport, commercial conservation)we will provide the opportunity for new members to learn collaborative management methodologies.
* Increase constituents’ knowledge of other’s fisheries through collaborative problem solving - particularly in the growing sport fishery along-side the aboriginal fishery
* Develop governance models that build an understanding of share-based fisheries
* Increase constituents self confidence and awareness by providing public forums, expert advice, and topical support for collegial debate around the changing fishery (to meet spawning, FSC and fishing objectives).
4. Cultus Lake Sockeye restoration.
* Organize a public call for proposals to the CSAB/Sto:lo Recovery Fund, process applications and award funding in time for summer projects
* Develop contracts for work funded and monitor progress
* Develop ways to use the Fund to leverage additional funds from private sources.
* Develop a working group to address nutrient loading in the lake. Partners will include Cultus Lake Parks Board, Fraser Valley Regional District, City of Chilliwack, DFO, Soowalie FN and others.


BENEFITS

By building synergistic relationships among all parties affected by decisions that are made regarding the Fraser River salmon fishery; this is key to success in the watershed. Equally important is the necessity for fisheries representatives from all sectors to be working interdependently on projects of common interest and concern. In other words, appropriate collaborative processes exist, or can be created, to advance all activities that form the backbone of the work to create sustainable and prosperous salmon management plans.
We assist in the definition of the form and function of DFO and the BC Government in the experimental work and learning experiences of Salmon Table participants. This needs to extend beyond one-off project funding. In the new paradigm of fisheries management represented by the FRST, regulators need to take a long term supportive role and focus on problem solving. Too often we are faced with problem identification as though that were the end point.
There are many factors that contribute to changes in the fishery that are the focus of the Salmon Table’s work. We assist the efforts in-river to build capacity, relationships, and viable solutions to the role of in-river fisheries by working towards some stable TAC allocation for experimentation in-river, stable policy supporting collaborative planning with both in-river and marine participants, and funding for in-river project priorities. This will enable strategic investment by all parties in finding solutions to our greatest challenges around sustainability, viability, quality, traceability, and value.


Engage First Nations, government agencies and community groups/NGOs

We actively invite and encourage FN participation both on the Board and in the open meetings, use FN facilities throughout the watershed whenever possible, and seek advance permission from FN leaders prior to gathering in their territory.
The FVAFS has taken on the role of lead for the First Nations training project. This will include involvement in all aspects of the recovery work and will address a myriad of small but essential aspects of the work.
In the past year we have actively pursued the inclusion at the Salmon Table of DFO and MOE.
The sports fishing community has actively engaged in meetings with FN to share the fish and the river and the commercial sector has begun to participate in the meetings addressing sharing chum resources.
We provide opportunities to educate commercial and recreational sectors about the benefits of engaging FN in more integrated, meaningful ways. Many of these constituents are becoming supportive of inter-tribal initiatives because they see the efficiencies of a truly representative organization. For example, the execution of inland commercial fisheries can lower cost by sharing trucks, ice, personnel, etc.


Complement or implement local and / or regional plans (e.g., recovery plans, watershed plans)

Our work in the Cultus basin has been instrumental in the recovery of this stock. Much work remains to be done and the unfettered addition of nutrients ranks high.
The Salmon Table has been encouraged (by FN) to look for ways to integrate and coordinate inputs to product on Fraser basin demonstration commercial projects.

Value-added aspects

Although still a new organization, the Salmon Table has seen remarkable capacity building with regard to individual Directors as well as between directors. We have also been able to play a role in mentoring demonstration project leaders with regard to industry standards and requirements. Although we help to represent FN people (generally underrepresented in these events) we have also seem our efforts prove positive in the sports community which ahs traditionally been under represented in forums like this. Finally we hope to continue to influence policy and decision making with regulators much as we were able to accomplish on the 2006 harvest rate to Cultus sockeye.