Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon to all, and thanks for the invitation.
My name is Murray Ned. I am the executive director of the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance, and I have been with the organization since its inception in 2010.
We currently have a small program staff of four, and 10 biologists and technicians who oversee work that includes habitat restoration, resource management, stewardship and science activities. The Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance provides coordination, communications, advisory and technical support to 30 of the Lower Fraser first nations.
Today I am speaking to you from Sumas First Nation, British Columbia, to offer a Lower Fraser first nation's perspective on the impacts of pinniped populations. The Lower Fraser region spans 200 kilometres, from the mouth of the Fraser River to Yale, British Columbia, and includes five watersheds with hundreds of tributaries, of course.
Seals and sea lions have always been part of the Fraser River ecosystem, and their relationship with salmon has existed since time immemorial. Unlike salmon, pinnipeds have been able to sustain a consistent and healthy population since the nineties, and perhaps even before that.
We have seen them regularly at the mouth of the Fraser River, right up to the Yale canyon, but now their presence is observed in many of our shallow tributaries, just several kilometres from the Fraser main stem. The assumption is that they are feeding on juvenile and adult salmon and other resident species, but that is yet to be determined.
We all know that Fraser salmon have been in a crisis for the last few decades across many stocks and species, and face an overwhelming number of impacts, including habitat degradation, climate change, pollution, disease and most recently the 2021 atmospheric rivers that wreaked havoc during spawning migration in all of the tributaries and in the Fraser, to some extent.
We also know that pinniped predation has an impact on salmon and that this was identified as a limiting factor during the recent species at risk assessment process for Fraser chinook, Fraser sockeye, interior Fraser coho and interior Fraser steelhead. What we don't know is the extent of pinniped impacts, as there has been limited government interest in investing in this important work.
Any proposed pinniped management strategy should prioritize the collection of baseline data in order to be able to produce accurate population estimates and determine what their predation impacts are on Lower Fraser salmon and passing stocks to the Upper Fraser and Middle Fraser.
The strategy must also consider and respect inherent rights of Lower Fraser first nations, which have the capacity and expertise to lead this work, if properly resourced. A study and methodology framework has been developed by the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance to conduct this study. There is strong support from the Lower Fraser collaborative table, which complements the area E commercial sector—seven recreational agencies and 23 first nations.
With the enactment of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, we see a great opportunity for the federal government and others to partner with the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance to conduct this work within the territories of the nations. Further, we see this as a form of guardianship and much needed technical work that would further develop the capacity of nations and their members, and produce valuable data and conclusive research in the best interests of all British Columbians, and of course the salmon.
Fraser salmon have been in a crisis for far too long, and it's imperative that we determine if pinniped predation is contributing to their decline. Time is of the essence. We must act now.
Thank you, again, for the time, Mr. Chair.