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Sea Lice Monitoring
Although sea lice occur naturally in the Northern Hemisphere, lice infestations have only recently put wild salmon populations at risk. At the same time, sea lice are also costly to fish farmers. They injure and kill fish, reduce growth rates, and oblige expensive control treatments. To learn more about sea lice populations, and determine whether sea lice from farmed salmon are having an effect on the health of wild salmon, a number of different groups have formed a partnership to monitor sea lice in Clayoquot Sound.
With the help of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council and the Aquatic Management Board, the Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations are working with Mainstream Canada and Creative Salmon to monitor the incidence of sea lice.
A rigorous sampling protocol has been designed reflecting coastwide standards, and results will be independently analysed.
(above image: beach
seining to gather juvenile salmon for sea lice monitoring)
Sea Otter Surveys
and Education
Sea Otters, long valued for their pelts, were driven to extinction in BC by 1929 as a result of the fur trade. Reintroduced in 1969, there are now currently an estimated 2000 Sea Otters living off the West Coast of Vancouver Island.
Sea Otters mostly eat shellfish, which results in lower stocks for the First Nations, commercial fisheries and recreational shellfish harvesters. The decreasing shellfish population, however, enables the return of beneficial kelp forests. So the reintroduction of Sea Otters, a keystone species, has meant a significant change in the local ecosystem.
The
Aquatic Management Board has identified a need for information and communication
regarding the ecological role of Sea Otters, and initiated a project with
the Bamfield Marine Sciences Center, the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council
and the Rainforest Education Society. The Aquatic Management Board is
also helping integrate an oil spill response plan for sea otters.
Ucluelet Harbour Project
Situated strategically on the central Westcoast, Ucluelet Harbour has been used by industry and fishing for many generations. High levels of fecal coliform and loss of habitat have resulted from development and increased industrial use.
The Ucluelet Harbour Project began in 1997 with the removal of 280 tons of garbage from the harbour. In 2000 a biology inventory was begun, followed by a shorekeepers program to train community members in collecting data to complete eelgrass surveys of the harbour. This data will assist governments and local communities in their stewardship initiatives while improving the visibility of marine stewardship.
The Aquatic
Management Board assisted with stewardship coordination. This provided
the group assistance with all of the collected data, writing and circulation
of the information and helping the group to find resources to become more
sustainable. The AMB’s support and assistance helps the Ucluelet
Harbour Project mesh into a cohesive and effective group.
The AMB has also developed a website to help with the communication needs
of this project. The UHP website is nested within this site, and can be
visited at: www.westcoastaquatic.ca/UHP
Henderson Lake Watershed
Henderson Lake watershed sockeye have suffered recruitment failures in recent years. Uchucklesaht food, social and ceremonial fisheries are impacted, and mixed stock commercial and recreational fisheries in Barkley Sound may be severely constrained in the future if Henderson salmon declines continue.
The Henderson Lake Watershed
is one of two watersheds chosen in BC as a pilot for developing Watershed
Fish Sustainabilty Plans. In May 2003 the DFO Pacific Science and Research
Salmon Subcommittee noted that a review of the watershed should be completed
as soon as personnel & fiscal resources were available.
A scoping workshop was held in February 2004 to determine next steps in development
of a plan. Participants recommended that a steering committee be formed to
guide work, and that it be supported by a technical committee. These committees
met in May 2004, and again in spring 2005 to finalize a plan for the watershed.
This process is being facilitated by the WCVI Aquatic Management Board.
............................................................................................Board Activities, page: 1 l 2 l 3
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