Evidence of meeting #5 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was work.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Mel Arnold Conservative North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
Well positioned: would that be 50% functional, 75% functional, fully functional?
Senior Director, Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, Pacific Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I would say we're still in very early days. We're looking to initiate most of our key activities starting at the beginning of the next fiscal year. We're still largely in a planning period right now identifying key priorities to launch this spring.
Conservative
Mel Arnold Conservative North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
Thank you.
In your opening remarks today you spoke about prioritizing actions to mitigate the impacts and support restoration of fish and fish habitat and include the province, indigenous groups and others to assess the impacts and determine the effective short-term and long-term actions to promote recovery.
What is the current status of these points and what organizations have been able to provide input or will be able to provide input?
Senior Director, Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, Pacific Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Go ahead, Brad.
Director, Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program, Pacific Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Yes, I can take the question. Thank you.
In terms of what's happening right now, the first item that we're doing is working internally with the different expertise within the department. We have science. We have the habitat program that is helping people restore some of the infrastructure to roads and dikes. We have that expertise. We have contribution program expertise to make sure we're connecting with various opportunities for funding different activities. We have restoration expertise within the department, as Sarah alluded to.
We're bringing those people together in a team to make sure that we can understand what assessments are required to understand the impacts. As we said, it's going to take months and years for us to assess given the life history of salmon. We're trying to position ourselves to use existing assessments to understand that. We're trying to set priorities based on stock status and habitat conditions to prioritize our actions to work with others.
We're really preparing ourselves as a department to have a coordinated response to support the provincial agencies, the environmental agencies and others that are positioned. We're actually doing work with the Pacific Salmon Foundation on some assessments of imagery around some of the impacted systems. We'll continue to work with first nations and others to understand their interests and try to support those activities in a timely manner.
Conservative
Mel Arnold Conservative North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
Thank you.
In the opening remarks you talked about re-evaluating current restoration techniques. Are these previously existing techniques? Are they being evaluated before or after they're being applied?
When you're re-evaluating current restoration techniques, are those one that have been in place for some period of time or are they current, new techniques?
Senior Director, Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, Pacific Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Yes. We've been working with community partners for decades in various levels and types of salmon restoration work, both at the local scale and more broadly at the watershed scale. With climate adaptation and the need to plan for flooding events, fires and things of that scale that we thought we would only see every 100 years now happening once every few years, what we're realizing is that we need to take stock of what we know. We have to make sure that we're applying the latest science and the latest research, not only from our own jurisdiction here in British Columbia, but also more broadly in Canada, as well as jurisdictions around the world who are also working around this idea of fish and fish habitat restoration and how to prepare for events like what we saw in terms of the floods.
Conservative
Mel Arnold Conservative North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
Thank you.
You mentioned taking stock of what we—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Thank you, Mr. Arnold. Your time has gone over.
We now go to Mr. Hardie for five minutes or less, please.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The year 2021 was a hard year on British Columbia. We had the heat dome. We had the fires. Historically, the mountain pine beetle, of course, devastated so many forests, and there's logging. The logging still goes on.
Then along comes this atmospheric river. We used to call it the “pineapple express”, but I guess “atmospheric river” sounds more scientific.
Do we have an assessment as to what all of these deforestations meant for the land's ability to handle the runoff? Did that contribute to the severity of the flooding?
Mr. Fanos.
Director, Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program, Pacific Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I can take that, Mr. Hardie.
Yes, I think what you're describing is really what we're putting our mind to from a science perspective. DFO science and habitat is working with, certainly, the provincial agencies who are doing work around climate adaptation, around cumulative effects, as you describe it, on a number of different activities, whether it's water management, whether it's fire, whether it's forestry management, agriculture, all under provincial jurisdiction. They're doing planning exercises now to position ourselves to be more resilient in the future. DFO will be part of that work.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
What about the riparian areas that are supposed to be preserved next to streams, etc.? Do we need to review those standards, particularly in light of the extent of the deforestation that we've seen?
Director, Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program, Pacific Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
As Ms. Murdoch indicated, I think we need to re-evaluate all the work that we're doing right now to make sure that we're putting our minds to the changes in climatic conditions and how we may need to have different approaches. Riparian has always been recognized as an important element. That may be something we need to closely look at to ensure we have the capacity there to support the aquatic ecosystems with the buffer zones of the riparian.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
This is the last question from me. It really has to do with the connectivity and the coordination.
I was looking at the B.C. legislation and I couldn't see anything in there that noted the requirement to consult with DFO when they're dealing with anything that was going to manage the flow of water in the province.
Where is that requirement nested? Is it in a letter of agreement between us and the province? Where is it?
Director, Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program, Pacific Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Hardie, the requirements under the Fisheries Act and people doing work in and about a stream obviously will be indicated as a permanent requirement through DFO. With regard to how we work with the province, it's through a collaborative process. There's no requirement in the provincial process. They have the Water Sustainability Act that also conserves and protects fish habitat as the lead jurisdiction for water. There are authorities that they have to ensure protection of fish and their habitat. There are no official mechanisms, but we are working collaboratively with B.C. to improve and streamline processes and ensure gaps are met.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Are you confident that we're catching all of the things that we need to catch in order to have that oversight or do we need something more formal?
Senior Director, Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, Pacific Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
If I could jump in—
Director, Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program, Pacific Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Go ahead.
February 8th, 2022 / 12:50 p.m.
Senior Director, Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, Pacific Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
There's definitely always room for improvement and that's one thing under the Pacific salmon strategy initiative we are looking to. The B.C. government has sent positive signals. They have their own interests in doing a wild salmon strategy, but we are looking at the potential for more structured collaborative approaches to work on all areas of salmon rebuilding and restoration.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
I'd like to thank you both. You've obviously stimulated a lot more conversation here. I'm looking forward to the next session where we talk to some of the other stakeholders.
Thank you.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Thank you, Mr. Hardie.
We'll now go to Madame Desbiens for two and a half minutes, please.
Bloc
Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the interpreters. They are doing a wonderful job, and I wanted to point that out.
We will soon be undertaking a study on labelling. We touched on the issue earlier, and I have a question for you.
What labelling and traceability recommendations would you have for Canada's fishery resources, generally speaking?
Senior Director, Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, Pacific Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Chair, that is an area of work I know is happening not only from my regional Pacific region colleague in fisheries management but also our national group.
If it's okay I'd rather respond back. I'm not directly involved in that work, although I do know traceability is a key issue for the fish harvesting sector in British Columbia as well as across the country.
Bloc
Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
Mr. Chair, could Ms. Murdoch repeat what she said?
Senior Director, Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, Pacific Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Yes.