The Runner – January 2020

THE RUNNER

Fishers working together

January 2020 • Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance

Sq’eptset Syoyes Sth’o’th’eqwi

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The Runner • November 2019

staff & contributors Murray Ned Executive Director Don Simpson First Nations Economic Development Officer Rosalie Hope Acting Program Coordinator Dionne Bunsha Aboriginal Knowledge Coordinator Aidan Fisher Staff Biologist Ian Hamilton Staff Biologist Ashlee Prevost Staff Biologist Uwe Spremberg Staff Biologist Eden Toth Public Relations Gillian Fuss Emergency Planning Secretariat Coordinator Maggie Mazurkewich Emergency Planning Secretariat Outreach Assistant Vanessa Serroul Emergency Planning Secretariat Executive Assistant

EDITORIAL POLICY The Runner newsletter is produced quarterly by the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance. Our purpose is to inform readers about LFFA organization processes, developments and news. We will gladly accept signed comments, questions and opinions about our newsletter and will consider withholding contributor’s name if desired.

Individual articles from The Runner may be reprinted, photocopied or redistributed with permission from The Runner provided the date of publication and source of the material is indicated. Please notify The Runner if you would like to reprint an article. All community members are welcome to contribute thoughts, articles and letters to The Runner.

Submissions and letters should be send to: The Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance 2788 Sumas Mountain Road Abbotsford, BC V3G 2J2 Phone: 778.847.3323 Email: communications@lffa.ca Publication is not guaranteed.

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Message from the Executive Director Aboriginal Knowledge Climate Adapt Organizational Update Chawathil Slough Coastal Restoration Planning Upper Pitt Restoration Matsqui Dyke Eulachon Assessment 2020 Fraser Salmon Outlook

In the old days there was a house on the top of Chilliwack Mountain facing down-river. The man who lived there had only one job; to watch for two silver bands on both sides of the river; millions of oolichan arriving. His job then was to run down the mountain to spread the word to other runners. People would come from near and far each year. The Runner endeavors to do this job once again, albeit electronically. Ken Malloway LFFA Chair

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The Runner • January 2020

Message from the Executive Director The Big Bar Slide near Clinton, B.C. was the major focus during the 2019 fishery and fish migration period. It had far-reaching effects on Department of Fisheries and Oceans management and scheduling decisions; affecting our Chinook directed fisheries in August and, to some extent, September's Pink fisheries. Big Bar overshadowed the dismal realities of the worst sockeye and chum returns in history. Less than 500,000 sockeye returned. Preliminary numbers suggest that there was less than 500,000 chum in the spawning grounds, and yet we saw only limited public outcry, media or government focus on this tragedy. To put this into context, poor sockeye returns of 1.3 million triggered the $30 million Cohen Commission Inquiry and numerous recommendations to government to rectify the issues. That was more than ten years ago. Today, our communities and fishers are certainly still feeling the impacts of their Food, Social and Ceremonial needs routinely not being met. Food security and the inability to practice the fishery are becoming a major issue with limited annual access to the salmon resource. Compounding these concerns, the Recreational marine fisheries still target the very fish we are conserving through DFO's management actions. From an operational level, the Executive Committee and Delegates renewed the LFFA Strategic Plan and ratified it in December. The term of the plan is 2020 to 2023 and it will guide the work of both the Executive Committee and Staff during that period. Our growth in the last five years has been incredible, however, there is much more to achieve to meet the expectations of the Nations we serve.

“Big Bar overshadowed the dismal realities of the worst sockeye and chum returns in history.” In addition, an independent organizational review was conducted and endorsed by the Executive Committee. There were several constructive recommendations that recognized the growth of the organization and personnel and the need to make necessary operational adjustments. Human Resources, internal financial management and wage parity were some of the key suggestions to maintain existing staff and attract future personnel.

Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance

Tier 3 collaboration with the Lower Fraser Recreational and Commercial sectors has resulted in the development of a Letter of Understanding. The draft will be reviewed by the respective groups in early 2020 and, if approved, should set the stage for the development of a more formalized structure in the form of a Terms of Reference. This will be a challenging undertaking and will require resources that have yet to be secured. The LFFA Tier 3 Working Group has been instrumental in guiding the work. On a final note, our Development Corporation, Lower Fraser Enterprise Limited Partnership (LFELP), made a submission to DFO’s PICFI program for a Commercial Fisheries Enterprise. Our key interest is in securing operational funding to maintain LFELP, expand on our aquaculture business and purchase licenses. The LFELP still requires further development of its board and operational structures and this will be a priority in the last quarter. This is an exciting opportunity to establish the foundation to generate own-source revenues for the organization and affiliated First Nations.

In Unity,

Murray Ned Executive Director Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance

Pictured left: Big Bar Landslide, photos taken for the Province of British Columbia

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The Runner • January 2020

Knowledge is power: LFAK Update Dionne Bunsha

The Lower Fraser Aboriginal Knowledge (LFAK) project has now interviewed experienced fishers from 13 First Nations over the course of 100 interviews. Importantly, all of the data from the interviews are stored in a secure, restricted access website called which can be viewed only by personnel authorized by each Nation. This has allowed LFFA staff to access knowledge about specific fishing, habitat and cultural sites while keeping the control in the hands of the Nations themselves. This year, funding has been secured to conduct interviews in Kwikwetlem and Kwantlen First Nations. In December 2019, RELAW Coordinator Leah Ballantyne and LFAK Coordinator Dionne Bunsha attended the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Indigenous Knowledge Advisory Group meeting in Toronto. The group discussed protocols on how to incorporate Indigenous Knowledge into the newly revised Fisheries Act. Notably, DFO is implementing the following key sections of an amended Fisheries Act, as amended by Bill C-68: Section 2.5 - provides that the Minister may consider Indigenous knowledge that has been provided (among other considerations enumerated under that section) for any decisions other than those enumerated under section 34.1(g). Section 34.1(g) provides that the Minister shall consider Indigenous knowledge that has been provided (among other factors enumerated under that section) for certain decisions under the Act related to fish and fish habitat protection and pollution prevention. Section 61.2 establishes a scheme that provides for the legal protection against the disclosure of Indigenous knowledge that has been provided to the Minister in confidence.

The AFN has developed draft IKS framework protocol concepts, which they will be presenting at regional workshops. The dates for the regional workshops in Vancouver are: March 17-18: Bill C-68 Fisheries Act March 19-20: Indigenous Knowledge Protocols

Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance

Climate Adapt: Project Update Dionne Bunsha

Freshet, coastal flooding, higher temperatures and greater precipitation are just some of the climate impacts already being felt in the Fraser Basin, adversely impacting salmon degrading salmon habitat. The Climate Adapt project was created to support member Nations in planning for, and adapting to, the potential impacts of climate change on their fisheries and ecosystems. The end result will be more resilient communities empowered by an Indigenous-led adaptation plan. To do this, priority areas of high salmon presence have been mapped out and climate change risks – such as floods and landslides – have been identified in these areas.

Over the next few months, these maps will be made available on the Climate Adapt website.

Regional meetings, as well as some community-based meetings, have been organized for Lower Fraser First Nations to share their mitigation and conservation priorities. Since the Coastal Restoration Fund project is also involved in a similar prioritization exercise, communication efforts have been combined to organize these interviews. If your Nation has not yet provided inputs on priority areas for conservation and would like to, please contact the LFFA to arrange a meeting with our team.

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The Runner • January 2020

New departments in Resource Management at the LFFA

In a recent organizational restructuring, the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance has divided Resource Management into two departments. The first is Fisheries Management, managed by staff biologist Aidan Fisher, which will consist of all salmon and non-salmon fisheries projects, including harvest management, stock assessment and research surrounding stocks of interest to Lower Fraser First Nations. Biologist Ashlee Prevost, a recent addition to the team, will work alongside Aidan heading up all non-salmon projects. The second, Habitat and Restoration Science, will be managed by staff biologist Ian Hamilton and will focus on issues surrounding habitat restoration, community engagement and increasing First Nation involvement in watershed restoration planning in the Lower Fraser region. New hire Uwe Spremberg will be working with Ian.

Chawathil Slough Slated for Restoration Uwe Spremberg, Biologist

A new restoration project is expected to begin in the Chawathil slough pending a funding announcement expected in February. Identified as a priority by community members, the slough is currently fragmented by a vertical obstacle. Once cleared, access to spawning habitat will be improved for Coho, Cutthroat, Salish Sucker, Threespine Stickleback and more. Thanks to Mike Pearson (Pearson Ecological) for his support and extensive surveys on this high-value habitat.

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First Nations lead Restoration Planning for the Lower Fraser River Ian Hamilton, Habitat and Restoration Science

In May 2019, the LFFA successfully obtained funding from the DFO Coastal Restoration Fund to support the development of a First Nations-led Restoration Plan for the Lower Fraser River. In partnership with the Pacific Salmon Foundation and all Lower Fraser First Nations, the LFFA is creating this Restoration Plan using available productivity data on all Lower Fraser River Salmon Conservation Units. So far, LFFA Biologists have engaged Chief, Council and Lands Committees of Lower Fraser First Nations from Port Mann to Mission. Similar engagements in other areas that LFFA serves will take place this year. Engagement sessions focus on having the Nations identify priority fish habitats within their reserve and traditional territories, followed by site visits lead by community members to provide specifics and allow the LFFA Biologist team to begin implementing environmental monitoring at these locations. An oversight committee, with members drawn from First Nations, NGOs and the LFFA, is being created to guide this process. A general information workshop will be held on March 30-31 to provide all Lower Fraser First Nations with more information about this process, while further sessions will be held later this year focusing on individual watersheds and their unique concerns. The goal of this project is to provide First Nations with a platform to plan restoration in their territories as guided by Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Indigenous Law and their inherent cultural values of environmental responsibility and stewardship. This project is expected to develop over the next 3 years.

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The Runner • January 2020

Upper Pitt Restoration Program Ian Hamilton, Habitat and Restoration Science

Last year, Katzie First Nation and the LFFA partnered to successfully obtain a grant from World Wildlife Federation for restoration activities in the Upper Pitt River. $150,000 was awarded to clear landslide material from Blue Creek, a known spawning ground for endangered Upper Pitt Chinook. A partially blocked fish passage to an important spawning bed made this project a priority. As work began, it was quickly determined by all parties (including the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Resource Restoration Unit) that far more work could be done in the area to support not only Upper Pitt Chinook, but Sockeye and Coho salmon as well. The restoration work ultimately expanded to include several other nearby areas in need of restoration. Alvin Patterson Channel gained a new spawning riffle for Sockeye and large amounts of excess timber were removed from Larsen Creek, while rocky sediment was removed from 3 Mile Creek to re-establish critical flows for local populations of Coho. A bio-wall was also constructed adjacent to the lower reach of Blue Creek to protect important spawning beds for Chinook. Next to that, a new channel

was created to increase the available spawning habitat for Coho and Sockeye. In total, over 11,300 square metres of habitat was restored. This project and the successful partnership behind it were made possible by the efforts of Katzie Councillor Rick Bailey. Planning meetings to create a ten-year vision for restoration in the Upper Pitt River are now ongoing and funding applications have been submitted to the DFO Habitat Stewardship Program, Canadian Wildlife Federation and Coca-Cola Canada to continue restoration work in this important region.

Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance

Pictured: Aerial footage of the bio-wall and newly created spawning channel adjacent to the Chinook spawning habitat in the lower reach of Blue Creek.

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The Runner • January 2020

Opportunity for fish-friendly bank stabilization at Matsqui dyke Ashlee Prevost, Biologist

Faced with increasing flood risk, the City of Abbotsford has contracted Northern Hydraulic Consultants (NHC) to prevent further erosion to the Matsqui dyke, immediately east of the Mission Bridge. The consultants are proposing a solution that involves the implementation of sub-surface groynes, or spurs, that are designed to allow sediment migration, while simultaneously preventing further erosion of the riverbank. Unlike many modern flood protection measures, this solution will leave naturally occurring back-eddies intact. Back-eddies provide holding areas for both terminally migrating adult salmon and out-migrating smolts, as well as feeding and spawning sites for non-salmonid species, such as eulachon and white sturgeon. Without the protection offered by these safe zones, mortality rates may rise. While the focus of this project is the protection of the Matsqui dyke, the LFFA is encouraged to see that it also protects important fish habitat and traditional Sumas First Nation fishing areas.

Further, the LFFA has offered to conduct a study that looks at the impacts of spur construction from two angles: the continued productivity of a culturally important traditional fishery, and habitat preservation. Surveys will include ARIS Sonar scans to determine the composition of aquatic species, as well as drift and set net surveys to assess any changes in the area. The study would begin before spur construction (scheduled for Spring 2020) and continue until after project completion in Spring 2023.

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Preparation for Eulachon Assessment and Exploratory Surveys Begins Ashlee Prevost, Biologist

The return of the eulachon, the first anadromous fish to brave the waters every year, has long signalled the end of winter in the Lower Fraser region. Though historically eulachon returned in high numbers, access to this fishery has been limited in recent years. The Fraser eulachon fishery is currently closed for all access except a limited Food, Social and Ceremonial (FSC) fishery. Since eulachon returns vary annually and reliable estimates are often difficult to achieve, the LFFA initiated a eulachon assessment survey in 2017 to assess in-season eulachon abundances by conducting surveys when adults are returning to the river. Adult eulachon are caught by drift gill net sampling and data like the number of fish caught, sex, weight, length, and a DNA sample are noted. This year, the LFFA is planning to once again perform our annual Eulachon Assessment Surveys from March to May to gain more information on returns and add to our long-term database. Previous study has indicated that eulachon can be caught as early as February 17th, which may mean that these fish are migrating to the river earlier than before. Additional survey dates have been added in February to reflect these findings. Annual estimates of eulachon returns are also acquired by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans through their Spawning Stock Biomass index (SSBi) which indirectly estimates adult eulachon abundance by sampling their drifting egg and larval progeny.

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The Runner • January 2020

2020 Fraser Salmon Outlook Aidan Fisher, Staff Biologist

Annually, DFO releases the Salmon outlook for Stock Management Units (SMU). This document provides a broadscale estimation of how each salmon stock will return compared to the historical average. The Stock Management Units used by DFO are not limited to the Conservation Unit (CU) level, instead, they are forecasted at the Stock Management Unit (SMU) scale, similar to how fisheries management considers different stocks. Some Stock Management Units are the same as their component Conservation Units (eg. Early Stuart Sockeye), but in other cases, they are a combination of similar Conservation Units (eg. Fraser Spring Run 52 Chinook SMU: 6 distinct CUs). The Outlook document categorizes each SMU into one of four outlook categories: Stock of Concern (1), Low (2), Near Target (3) and Abundant (4). For the 2020 season, DFO has adjusted its description and criteria for these categories compared to previous outlooks. In cases where forecast estimates are available, they have included them in the outlook document. For Fraser salmon, there are no forecasts available at the time of publication. Fraser sockeye will have official forecast estimates, published and available through the Fraser River Panel but they are not currently available. In addition to new classification requirements for outlook categories, DFO has included the COSEWIC designation for all SMUs and for Fraser salmon whether or not the SMU is directly affected by the Big Bar landslide. The designation of affected by the Big Bar slide is

only considering their requirement to pass the slide, not any potential downstream effects of the slide which may or may not be present. Pacific salmon overall, but particularly Fraser salmon have been negatively affected by a suite of small and large scale climatic effects. Marine heatwaves (The Blob and large El Niño events) affect the planktonic communities that support the growth of salmon while they are in the ocean. Increasing atmospheric temperatures influence stream and lake temperatures for spawning and rearing salmon. Precipitation patterns have changed. This has increased the events of extreme rainfall conditions (drought and flood). The natural conditions Fraser salmon have faced over the past 10 years are seriously affecting annual returns, and the conditions causing these impacts are expected to either continue or increase in severity. 2020 is an off-cycle year for Fraser sockeye, meaning the cyclic dominant stocks (eg. Adams/Shuswap) are in the low return cycle years. The Fraser Sockeye outlook is poor across almost the entire watershed. For example, Chilko sockeye were strong and appeared to be maintaining strong productivity while other stocks were doing poorly are now in outlook category 1. The only Fraser sockeye SMUs that are in or above outlook category 3 are in the Lower Fraser (Chilliwack, Pitt, Harrison). The added complexity is the impact of the Big Bar slide on Fraser sockeye that must migrate past the slide. There is no way to estimate the potential impact of the slide in

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forecast documents, other than in speculative terms. There are very few positive expectations for the Fraser sockeye fishery in 2020. Over the past 5 years, Fraser chinook stocks have continued to decline and many have been identified as either Endangered or Threatened by COSEWIC. Two of 18 Fraser chinook CUs were designated Not At Risk, with remaining sixteen designated between Special Concern to Endangered, or Data Deficient (due to small run sizes). The decline in conservation status has been identified in the DFO Salmon Outlook documents annually, Spring 42, Spring 52, Summer 52 remain in outlook category 1. Summer 41 chinook have also been downgraded to outlook category 1-2, and Fall 41 chinook downgraded to outlook category 2. Previously the ocean-type chinook (Summer and Fall 41) seemed to be maintaining productivity and run size but recently have also experienced declines. Overall, the declining trends for Fraser chinook are similar to those observed in Fraser sockeye. The Fraser chinook fishery in 2020 will likely be heavily constrained due to stocks of concern. Fraser Coho for Upper and Lower Fraser are both in outlook category 1 and have been for a number of years. Upper Fraser coho do have fairly strong escapement estimation programs, and the SMU trends are followed closely. To date, Lower Fraser coho have not had a similar level of escapement monitoring. The outlook category for Lower Fraser coho is mostly informed by the trends observed for Upper

Fraser coho. It is possible that Lower Fraser coho are experiencing different trends in returns, but they are not currently monitored to the extent where such trends could be identified. In future years we are hoping an escapement program will be established for Lower Fraser coho, in order to further our understanding of the stock. Fraser Chum has been downgraded to outlook category 2, which has been declining from a long period of strong outlooks. The forecast methods for Fraser chum are not nearly as robust as those for sockeye and chinook, therefore the outlook category should be considered in this light. The Fraser chum outlook category is strongly influenced by the previous year's escapement, which was one of the lowest chum returns observed in the past 50 years. The low escapement in 2019 is likely the driving factor to the declining outlook category for Fraser chum in 2020. In-season information will dictate the extent of Fraser chum fisheries in 2020. Fraser Pinks return every second year, on the odd-years. 2020 is not expected to be a Fraser pink return year. The 2020 salmon fishery is likely to be heavily constrained similarly to 2019. The driving stocks (Stream-type chinook, Fraser sockeye, Interior Fraser Steelhead) for the management actions that closed salmon fisheries in 2019 are still in conservation concern, and there is little sign that management actions would be lifted for 2020.

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Cover photo credit: Alex Harris for WWF