Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) management plan: chapter 10
3. Proposed Implementation Schedule
Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Parks Canada Agency encourage other agencies and organizations to participate in the conservation of Eastern Pacific Steller Sea Lion through the implementation of this management plan. The agencies in Table 2 have been identified as potential partners for implementing the recommended actions.
Table 3 summarizes those actions that are recommended to support the goals and objectives of this management plan. The activities implemented by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Parks Canada Agency will be subject to the availability of funding and other required resources. Where appropriate, partnerships with specific organizations and sectors will provide the necessary expertise and capacity to carry out the listed action. However, this identification is intended to be advice to other agencies, and carrying out these actions will be subject to each agency’s priorities and budgetary constraints. Organizations currently collecting data on Steller Sea Lion are listed in Appendix II.
Table 2: The management actions outlined in this plan are to be carried out, where and when appropriate, in partnership with the following organizations.
Organization | Acronym |
---|---|
Fisheries and Oceans Canada | DFO |
Parks Canada Agency | PCA |
Marine Mammal Response Network | MMRN |
Department of National Defence | DND |
Environment Canada | EC |
Transport Canada | TC |
Natural Resources Canada | NRCan |
Canadian Coast Guard Services | CCG |
National Energy Board | NEB |
First Nations | FN |
B.C. Province | B.C. Prov |
Ministry of Agriculture and Lands | MAL |
Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre | VAMSC |
B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network | B.C. CSN |
Pacific Salmon Commission | PSC |
Straitwatch | Straitwatch |
Universities having relevant research programs | Universities |
U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service | NMFS |
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Mammal Lab |
NOAA |
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife | ODFW |
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife | WDFW |
Alaska Department of Fish and Game | ADFG |
Pacific Whale Watch Association | PWWA |
Environmental non-Governmental Organizations | ENGOs |
North Pacific Marine Mammal University Consortium | NPMMUC |
To be determined | TBD |
Action | Obj. | Priority | Threats or concerns addressed | Participating Agencies5 | Timeline |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Protection | |||||
1. Protect Steller Sea Lions from disturbance at breeding sites and haulouts | |||||
a. Continue enforcement of MMR, promote regional guidelines | D1, D2, M3 |
L | Continued protection from disturbance; habitat degradation | CCG, DFO, PCA | Ongoing |
2. Enforcement of regulations for discarding debris, develop new fishing standards | M2 | L | Reduce entanglement risks | DFO, TC, Fishing industry |
Ongoing |
Management | |||||
3. Consider dietary needs when changes to current fisheries management regimes occur | P1, M6 | H | Prey limitation | DFO, Fishing industry |
As changes to fisheries management occur |
4. Review proposals with potential for disturbance at haulouts and rookeries, and provide advice | D1, D2, M3, M5 |
L | Acoustic and physical disturbance | DFO, DND, Industry, NRCan, NEB |
Ongoing, enhance involvement where necessary |
5. Manage and reduce input of chemical toxins, reduce toxic loading | |||||
a. Develop DFO emergency response plan to identify marine mammal expertise required in toxic spill response | P1, M2, M4 |
LM | Effective, coordinated response for toxic spills | DFO, EC, CCG, PCA, B.C. Prov, TC | 4 years |
b. Marine mammal-specific DFO operational manual for toxic spill response | M2, M4 | LM | Effective, coordinated step-wise response to toxic spills; standardized data collection; monitoring | DFO, EC, CCG, PCA, B.C. Prov, TC | 4 years |
c. Review management of point-sources of toxins listed in Appendix I | R3, M2 | LM | Relevance of guidelines and thresholds for marine mammals, contaminant loading | EC, B.C. Prov, Municipalities, Industry |
Ongoing |
6. Support low-impact research | R1 to R4, M1, M3 | H | Fostering independent/ non-DFO, low-impact research, trans-boundary collaboration, data sharing | DFO, ENGOs, NPMMUC, NMFS, ADFG, WDFW, ODFW, TBD |
Ongoing |
7. Strengthen measures to reduce entanglement risk | |||||
a. Support MMRN initiatives | R3, R4 | L | By-catch, entanglement (all types), incidental take | DFO, VAMSC, ENGOs, MAL, NPMMUC, PCA, CCG, TBD | Ongoing |
b. Fisheries observer reporting standards and guidelines | R3, R4 | M | Clarify extent of fisheries interactions | DFO, Fishing industry |
3 years |
c. Develop solutions to predator interactions, quarterly reporting | P1, R3, R4 | L | Clarify extent of interactions at aquaculture sites; entanglement; predator control | DFO, Aquaculture industry |
Ongoing |
d. Develop and evaluate best management practices | P1, M2 | L | Mitigate depredation and entanglements | DFO, Aquaculture industry |
Ongoing |
e. Alternative gear types (fishing, aquaculture) | P1, M2 | M | Reduce entanglement risk; incidental take | DFO, Fishing and Aquaculture industry, VAMSC | Ongoing as new information becomes available |
8. Determine risk associated with lifting of moratorium on offshore fossil fuel extraction | P1, D1, D2, R3, M2 to M5 |
LM | Determine associated risk regarding toxic spills; disturbance; potential impacts to foraging | DFO, EC, NEB, NRCan, B.C. Prov |
Ongoing |
Research on Steller Sea Lion Biology | |||||
9. Data collection: | |||||
a. Collection of tissue samples | R2, R3, M1 | L | Genetic, pathogen and fatty acid analysis | DFO, NMFS, ODFW, ADFG, WDFW, TBD | Opportunistically |
b. Brand re-sighting; photographs of branded animals | R1, R2, R3, M1 | M | Assist range-wide research efforts to assess vital rates; movements | DFO, NMFS, ODFW, ADFG, WDFW, TBD | Ongoing |
10. Contribute, support, foster research on | |||||
a. Important foraging areas, seasonal distribution | P1, R2, R3, M1, M6 |
H | Prey availability near rookeries during breeding season | DFO, PSC, WDFW, ADFGW, NMFS | Ongoing |
b. Diet outside the breeding season | P1, R2, R3, M1, M6 | H | Knowledge gaps re: seasonally important prey species; nutritional needs | DFO, PSC, WDFW, NPMMUC, NMFS, ODFW,TBD | Ongoing |
c. Maintenance of brand re-sight database | R2, M1 |
M | Data sharing; data organization | DFO, ADFGW, ODFW, NMFS, NPMMUC | Ongoing |
Research to clarify identified Threats | |||||
11. Assess sustainability of total human-caused mortality | P1, R4 | M | Human-caused mortality levels | DFO, TBD | Ongoing |
12. Assess potential for fisheries competition for prey resources | P1, R3, M6 |
H | Prey limitation; fisheries impacts | DFO, PSC, WDFW, NPMMUC | Ongoing |
13. Determine seasonal variation in significance of research disturbance at haulouts and rookeries | D1, D2, R3, M3 |
LM | Significance of seasonal disturbances | NPMMUC, TBD | Ongoing |
14. Gather information on entanglement rates observed by researchers | P1, R3, M1, M2 |
L | Entanglement rates in B.C.; gear types; severity of incidents | DFO, NMFS, ODFW, ADFG, WDFW, VAMSC, NPMMUC, TBD | Ongoing |
15. Analysis of toxin and pathogen loading | P1, R3, M2 |
LM | Determine risk of impacts from toxins and disease | DFO, EC, B.C. Prov, MAL, TBD |
Ongoing |
16. Assess sources of biological pollutants | R3, M2 | L | Determine potential for biological pollutant loading | Municipalities, Industry, TBD | Ongoing |
17. Identify significant non-point source toxic contamination | R3, M2 | LM | Emerging contaminants; toxic loading near rookeries and year-round haulouts | TBD | Ongoing |
Monitoring population status | |||||
18. Support, contribute to coordination of range-wide surveys, every four years | P1, D1, D2, R1, M1 |
H | Monitoring range-wide trends; effective, efficient data collection; foster data sharing | DFO, PCA, B.C. Prov, NMFS, ODFW, ADFG, WDFW, TBD | Ongoing (next survey in 2010) |
19. Consider biennial rookery surveys | P1, D1, D2, R1, R2, M1 |
M | Monitor breeding populations | DFO, PCA, B.C. Prov, NMFS, ODFW, ADFG, WDFW, TBD | Conducted in 2008, next survey is funding dependent |
Outreach and Communication | |||||
20. Foster improved communication networks | |||||
a. Pro-actively build communication networks | M1, M2 | M | Effective intra- and inter-agency communication catastrophic spill response | DFO, EC, CCG, B.C. Prov, VAMSC, Municipalities, ENGOs |
3 years |
b. Trans-boundary and inter-jurisdictional collaboration | All | M | Coordinated management and research efforts | DFO,PCA, NOAA, NMFS, NPMMUC, ENGOs |
3 years |
c. Ongoing media communications and promotion of the MMR and ‘Be Whale Wise’ | M1 | L | Awareness of guidelines, regulations; enforcement measures | DFO, B.C. CSN, VAMSC, Straitwatch, PWWA, TBD |
Ongoing |
d. Support, where feasible, independent education and awareness programs | M1, M2 | L | Entanglement; marine debris; depredation; incident reporting; contamination of habitat | DFO, B.C. CSN, VAMSC, Straitwatch, PWWA, TBD |
Ongoing |
5 Identification of government agencies and non-governmental organizations is intended to be advice and does not commit the agency or organization to implementing the listed action. Implementing actions will be contingent upon each organization’s or agency’s priorities and budgetary constraints.
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