White Sturgeon populations (Upper Fraser, Upper Columbia, Upper Kootenay, and Nechako rivers): action plan summary

Official title: Summary of the action plan for SARA-listed populations of White Sturgeon (upper Fraser river, upper Columbia river, upper Kootenay river, and Nechako river)

1. Opening statement

The Species at Risk Act (SARA) requires the development of one or more action plans based on the recovery strategy for species listed under Schedule 1 of SARA as extirpated, endangered or threatened, and for which recovery is deemed feasible. Four populations of White Sturgeon (Upper Fraser River, Upper Columbia River, Upper Kootenay River, and Nechako River) were listed as Endangered under Schedule 1 of SARA in 2006. In March 2014, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) posted the Recovery Strategy for the White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) in Canada, which sets out the population and distribution objectives, activities needed to recover the species, and the timelines for completion of the action plan. In accordance with the recovery strategy, one or more action plans for the four SARA-listed populations of White Sturgeon was due for posting on the Species at Risk Public Registry in March 2019.

Success in the recovery of White Sturgeon depends on the commitment and cooperation of many different partners that will be involved in implementing the measures set out in the recovery strategy and action plan, and will not be achieved by DFO or any other party alone. Given White Sturgeon’s complex life history and the nature of threats to its survival and recovery, DFO sought to maximize input into the action plan from various jurisdictions and organizations through extended early engagement, which has led to a delay in publication of the action plan. Delaying the completion of the document has allowed DFO to engage thoroughly with partners involved in the recovery and management of White Sturgeon, ensuring a highly detailed, comprehensive action plan. A joint action plan for all four SARA-listed populations of White Sturgeon is currently in draft form.

2. Summary

2.1 Scope of the action plan

The White Sturgeon action plan will provide the detailed recovery planning that supports the strategic direction set out in the recovery strategy for the four SARA-listed populations of White Sturgeon.  The action plan will outline recovery measures that provide the best chance of achieving the population and distribution objectives for four SARA-listed populations of White Sturgeon. It will include measures to be taken to address threats to the species and monitor its recovery and will guide not only the activities to be undertaken by DFO, but also those for which other jurisdictions, organizations and individuals have a role to play. To the extent possible, the action plan is being prepared in cooperation with the Province of British Columbia, Indigenous organizations, and affected stakeholders as per section 48(1) of SARA.

2.2 Critical habitat

Critical habitat was identified to the extent possible using the best available information for all four SARA-listed populations in section 8 of the recovery strategy. Protection of each SARA-listed population’s critical habitat from destruction was accomplished in 2016 through SARA Critical Habitat Orders made under subsections 58(4) and (5), which invoked the prohibition in subsection 58(1) against the destruction of the identified critical habitat.

2.3 Actions to achieve recovery objectives

The action plan will outline recovery measures that provide the best chance of achieving the population and distribution objectives for the four SARA-listed populations of White Sturgeon. The implementation schedule in section 1 of the action plan will prioritize the actions, link them to recovery objectives, identify potential partners and identify a proposed timeline for each action. The action plan will include an evaluation of the socio-economic costs of the action plan and the benefits to be derived from its implementation.

The 2014 recovery strategy identified activities needed to achieve the population and distribution objectives for the four SARA-listed populations and included performance measures to monitor progress toward recovery. As required under section 46 of SARA, DFO is currently drafting a progress report on the implementation of the recovery strategy. To date, many of the actions listed in the recovery strategy have been completed or are ongoing, including conservation aquaculture programs for SARA-listed populations that experience recruitment failure (Nechako River, Upper Columbia River, and Upper Kootenay River populations), habitat monitoring and critical habitat refinement, and stock assessment. DFO co-chairs the National Recovery Team for White Sturgeon and actively participates in the basin-level Technical Working Groups which coordinate recovery and management efforts for White Sturgeon. DFO has provided direct financial contribution to various White Sturgeon recovery efforts, including population and habitat monitoring in the Upper Fraser and Nechako rivers, research to address knowledge gaps on biology and threats to the species, research into methods for habitat enhancement and restoration, and a number of public outreach initiatives including the Healthy Watersheds for Sturgeon School Curriculum Program, community outreach signage, and the Every Fish Counts Emergency Sturgeon Live Release Boat Kit program.