Salmon Steward is the official publication of the Pacific Salmon Foundation in British Columbia, Canada
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/300930
The Skeena Salmon Program salmon Steward magazine 13 The Bigger Picture The Skeena Salmon Program provides a model for understanding and protecting a thriving salmon stronghold BY RYAN STUART To provide open access to the science and data, the program is now developing the Skeena Salmon Explorer, a new online platform that will present information on habitat health, salmon returns, catch and more, in graphs and easy-to-use infographics. For a historical overview, users can already access another tool on the Skeena Salmon Program website that provides "Conservation Unit Snapshots." Each "snapshot" summarizes the population statistics and trends from the 1950s to 2012 for distinct populations of salmon called "Conservation Units." Conservation Units are used for management purposes and identify genetically similar populations of fi sh from a defi ned geographical area. In addition, there are Habitat Report Cards, which are layered maps and reports that identify land uses in each Conservation Unit and highlight critical fi sh habitat. Possibly the most important outcome of the program, says Greg Knox, executive director of SkeenaWild, a conservation trust focused on salmon, was the development of baseline data against which comparisons can be made. "It removes the dueling science we so often see," says Knox. "No longer are we arguing about statistics. We know where the issues are and we can get on with dealing with them." Such a resource is more important than ever with the bonanza of resource developments slated for the watershed. "The information is key to have when dealing with angler groups and our federal colleagues," says Mark Beere, a senior fi sheries biologist for the province, based in Smithers, who focuses on Steelhead. "It puts everyone on a level playing fi eld," Knox says. "In the past an interest group might not have had $100,000 to do habitat analysis. Now it is available for free and they can intervene in environmental assessment processes that a ect them." "It's the new reality," adds Katrina Connors, director of the Skeena Salmon Program. "Rather than relying on government to provide the baseline science it is now up to the community." To that end, everything the Skeena Salmon Program has worked on over the last six years can be easily accessed online. Even though everyone agrees the Skeena Salmon Program has put key information at their fi ngertips, where the program's budget will come from beyond its current three-year grant remains unknown. "If we can fi nd buy-in from other partners, we can continue what we have started here and maybe even move on to assembling key information for other watersheds," says Connors. "That would be a best-case scenario for everyone — especially salmon." And, with billions of dollars in proposed developments focusing on this region, the program's work has never been more important. ■ The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation funds everything from patient care to quantum physics and wild salmon. Their Wild Salmon Ecosystems Initiative focuses on "fostering solutions to sustain the wild salmon ecosystem of the North Paci c." The Moore Foundation has been a generous supporter of the Paci c Salmon Foundation's Skeena Salmon Program, which would almost certainly not have existed without their commitment and belief in building from a strong scienti c basis. moore.org 12 2014 psf.ca A box at the Kitwanga salmon fence used for counting smolts before they start their ocean-bound migration in the spring. Right: Conservation Unit snapshots Below: Equipment for tracking tagged salmon in the watershed. Conservation p12-13Skeena Salmon.indd 13 14-04-11 2:12 PM