Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area Plan

The Plan is a shared product of the collaborative governance process. The Plan provides an ecosystem-based management framework that seeks to balance ecological, economic and social goals and objectives towards sustainable development. It is high-level and strategic, is not legally binding and serves as a foundation for marine planning initiatives on smaller scales or that are more operational in nature.

The Plan does not make commitments to new action, but rather sets a broad ecosystem context that can inform and guide existing work.  All parties involved in the plan’s development are responsible for implementing its goals, objectives and strategies within their own organizations.  Implementation of the Plan will require five priorities: governance arrangements for implementation; marine protected area network planning; monitoring and adaptive management; integrated economic opportunities; and tools to support plan implementation.

In 2005, Canada’s Oceans Action Plan identified the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA) as one of five priority Large Ocean Management Areas for the implementation of integrated ocean management planning, as directed by Canada’s Oceans Act.

In 2008, A Memorandum of Understanding on PNCIMA Collaborative Oceans Governance was signed between the Government of Canada, First Nations and the Province of British Columbia.  It provided a framework for collaboration on the PNCIMA initiative, including the establishment of a Steering Committee to support planning efforts.

Between 2010 and 2013, the PNCIMA Plan was developed through a broad and collaborative process between Federal, Provincial and First Nations governments and contributed to by a diverse range of organizations, stakeholders and interested parties. The process was directed by the PNCIMA Steering Committee consisting of representatives from Fisheries and Oceans, Natural Resources, Parks, Environment & Climate Change and Transport; the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations; the Prince Rupert Port Authority, Coastal First Nations; the North Coast Skeena First Nations Stewardship Society; the Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance; and the Council of the Haida Nation. Stakeholders were engaged through an Integrated Oceans Advisory Committee which consisted of representatives from commercial fishing organizations, marine transportation, renewable and non-renewable energy, aquaculture, environmental non-governmental organizations, recreational fish harvesters, local governments, tourism and recreational industries.

In 2012, a draft plan was developed by the governance partners and circulated to local First Nations and members of the Advisory Committee. Feedback on that first draft was incorporated, as appropriate, and circulated for public review in May 2013. Revisions were made as a result of this final review and the Plan was prepared for endorsement by the Steering Committee members. In 2016, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard sent letters to all of the PNCIMA governance partners seeking their endorsement. All partners have now endorsed the Plan.

List of Stakeholders:

Partners Signatory to the Collaborative Governance Memorandum of Understanding:

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada on behalf of the Government of Canada
• Coastal First Nations
• North Coast Skeena First Nations Stewardship Society
• BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations for the Province of British Columbia
• (note the Nanwakolas Council were signatory to MOU but withdrew May 2012)

Partners on the PNCIMA Steering Committee

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (Co-Chair)
• Natural Resources Canada
• Environment and Climate Change Canada
• Parks Canada
• Transport Canada
• Port of Prince Rupert
• BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations for the Province of BC
• Coastal First Nations (Co-Chair)
• North Coast Skeena First Nations Stewardship Society

Members of the PNCIMA Integrated Advisory Committee

• Commercial Fisheries :
  •  Commercial Fishing Sector as represented by the BC Commercial Fishing Caucus and the BC Seafood Alliance

• Recreational Fisheries:
  •  Sport Fishing Advisory Board (Member)

• Marine Transportation:
  • BC Chamber of Shipping (Member)
  • International Ship Owners Alliance (Member)
  • Council of Marine Carriers (Alternate)
  • BC Ferries (Alternate)

• Renewable Energy
  • Naikun Wind Energy Corp (Member)
  • Oceans Renewable Energy Group (Alternate)

• Non-Renewable Energy
  • Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers: Shell Canada (Member and Alternate); Enbridge (Alternate)

• Aquaculture
  • Marine Harvest (Member)
  • BC Salmon Farmers Association (Alternate)
  • BC Shellfish Growers Association (Alternate)

• Environmental Non-Government Organizations
  • Living Oceans Society (Member)
  • David Suzuki Foundation (Alternate)

• Recreation
  • Sea Kayaking Assn of BC & Outdoor Recreation Council (Member)
  • Recreational Canoeing Association of BC (Alternate)

• Tourism
  • Wilderness Tourism Association

• Local Communities
  •  Skeena Queen Charlotte Regional District (former member- withdrew in 2012)
  • Kitimat-Stikine Regional District (Member)
  • Mount Waddington Regional District (Member
  • Strathcona Regional District (Member)
  • Central Coast Regional District (Member)