Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) management plan: chapter 15
Appendix III: Record Of Cooperation and Consultation
Eastern Pacific Steller Sea Lions are listed as a species of “special concern” on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA). As an aquatic species, they fall under federal jurisdiction, and are managed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Suite 200 - 401 Burrard Street, Vancouver, B.C, V6C 3S4.
DFO brought together a small internal working group of technical experts from science and management to develop an initial draft of this management plan. A Steller Sea Lion Management Planning Technical Workshop was hosted in November of 2007 to provide a forum for the sharing of knowledge and expertise on Eastern Pacific Steller Sea Lions to support the drafting of the plan. A group of scientific and technical experts including independent researchers, environmental non-governmental organizations, and other governmental (federal and provincial) staff from both Canada and the United States participated in the workshop. An invitation letter was also sent to all coastal First Nations soliciting their participation in development of the management plan and at the technical workshop. This workshop was invaluable in assisting the DFO internal working group in drafting the Management Plan for Steller Sea Lions in Canada. Given that the population considered in this management plan frequents both Canadian and United States (U.S.) waters, bilateral government and non-government input and collaboration was sought.
A draft version of the management plan was posted to the DFO Pacific Region website for a 30-day public comment period from April 7 to May 12, 2008, and also included mail-outs to all coastal First Nations soliciting comments, follow-up emails were also sent. Consultations were web-based, and included an initial draft of the management plan, discussion guide and feedback form available online. In addition, a message announcing the development of the management plan, was sent to a marine mammal list serve (MARMAM) with a broad local and international distribution to marine mammal researchers and interested parties, and to a distribution list of whale-related contacts provided to DFO in recent years from environmental groups, non-governmental organizations, government agencies, and the eco-tourism sector.
Comments on the management plan were received from eight independent sources and from two government agencies: Environment Canada, and the Province of B.C. Processes for coordination and consultation between the federal and provincial governments on management and protection of species at risk are outlined in the Canada-B.C. Agreement on Species at Risk (2005). Natural Resources Canada, Department of National Defence, the Parks Canada Agency and Transport Canada provided no comments on the draft document. The Parks Canada Agency provided input during the development of the management plan through active involvement in the technical workshops and ongoing representation, as a competent agency under SARA. This negated the need to provide input through the public consultation mechanism. No feedback was received from mail-outs to First Nations.
Feedback from the public, government agencies and scientific experts has been carefully considered in the production of the final management plan. Peer review of the document was not considered necessary as applicable experts were in attendance at the Steller Sea Lion Management Planning Technical Workshop and were provided an opportunity to provide input through public consultation.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada Technical Team:
Steller Sea Lion Management Planning Technical Workshop Participants:
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