Fisheries Stakeholder Advisory Committee - Input needed
In Spring 2018, as part of the Fisheries Action Plan, Alberta Environment and Parks formed a new fisheries stakeholder advisory committee. This committee, supported by a diverse group of fisheries stakeholders, including Northern Lights Fly Fishers, has been set up to obtain advice and foster collaboration in the conservation and management of Alberta’s recreational fisheries and fish habitats. The commitment of the committee is to respectfully work together, in an open and transparent way, for the collective good of recreational fisheries.
The committee met for the second time on July 30, 2018. The focus of this meeting was to receive advice on the terms of reference for the committee, initiate the process for undertaking an independent review of Alberta’s fisheries management approach and share information about activities being undertaken by the Ministry and other partners to protect and restore fish habitat. During this meeting the participants:
- Provided advice to draft the terms of reference
- Confirmed support for the plan for the Third Party Scientific Review, facilitated by the Office of the Chief Scientist, and recognized opportunities to connect into the process. Over the next three weeks, members of the committee will be providing questions on behalf of their organizations for consideration by Alberta Environment and Parks Chief Scientist for Phase 1 of the review. Phase One will focus on the management of river and stream fisheries in the East Slopes with specific focus on angling closures and habitat enhancement. The committee was introduced to, and supportive of, the review team as selected by Chief Scientist Dr. Fred Wrona. The review team for Phase 1 will be led by Dr. Stephen Cooke and his team at Carleton University and Dr. Eduardo G. Martins at the University of Northern British Columbia.
(If there is a particular question you believe the Scientific Review team should address regarding the North Central Native Trout Recovery Program proposed by Fisheries Management and subsequently put on hold by the Minister pending the outcome of the Third Party review, please post it on the forum or email it to me at Newsletter@nlft.org by Aug 20th. All questions will be submitted to the Chief Scientist. Your name will not be used unless you specifically request otherwise.)
- Recognized that Alberta Environment and Parks is seeking to better understand the cumulative effects of catch and release angling and other factors on fish populations, and is open to consider more than just closure of areas to recreational fishing to restore fish populations to levels that meet legislated conservation requirements and the expectations of Albertans.
The committee will meet next in late fall when an update on the progress of the independent Third-Party Scientific Review and other initiatives within the Fisheries Action Plan will be reviewed for the committee’s advice and comment.
I can also confirm that a number of projects related to habitat improvement along the east slopes have been initiated in the past few months. I hope to be able to post a list of these soon.