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Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC Volume 8B, Marine Transportation Technical Reports Trans Mountain Expansion Project Marine Commercial, Recreational and Tourism Use Technical Report 3.4 Existing Conditions For MCRTU, existing conditions represent the current use patterns and trends of commercial, recreational and tourism marine vessels and users in the Marine RSA, as identified from a review of available data, map analysis, and consultation with key informants. In the Marine RSA, human use is affected by a wide range of factors such as individual decisions, local meteorological conditions, day-to-day government decisions and regulations, changes in recreational or biophysical features, and broader economic factors. As such, all information presented in this report should be considered a snapshot of existing conditions at the time of writing based on the best available information, with the understanding that marine conditions and user trends are continually changing. The existing data on MCRTU were compiled using a variety of sources, including: • published reports from government agencies involved in administering or regulating a specified area or resource; • a review of relevant marine use planning documentation; • internet searches and related online investigations; • discussions with relevant key informants, including: provincial and federal government officials; marine-based industry associations; commercial fishing organizations; recreational use organizations, results of open houses, workshops and community meetings; • results of other Project-related technical reports, including a marine vessel traffic analysis; • a review of environmental assessments for projects with a similar marine context or regulatory context (e.g., Enbridge Northern Gateway); and • geographic information system (GIS) tools to determine spatial relationships of source data to the Marine RSA. 3.5 Desktop Literature Review The initial step in the baseline data collection process was the desktop literature review. This involved identifying and reviewing existing published data from the following sources: • provincial, regional and municipal governmental statistical and administrative data, studies and reports; • reports from academic, community-based or other non-governmental organizations active in the study area; and • environmental assessments for projects with a similar marine context or regulatory context (e.g., Enbridge Northern Gateway). Given the dynamic nature of marine use conditions and the continual flow of new information, the desktop literature review continued in an ongoing and iterative manner throughout much of the assessment process. The collection of desktop information began in February 2013; new information sources were considered, as they were identified and became available, until October 10, 2013. 3.6 Primary Data Collection/Interviews Primary data sources included inputs and opinions from key informed sources at the community, regional and provincial level in BC. The study team conducted select technical meetings and discussions with the following key informed sources: • provincial and federal government officials; 7894/December 2013 REP-NEB-TERA-00030 Page 3-10 Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC Volume 8B, Marine Transportation Technical Reports Trans Mountain Expansion Project Marine Commercial, Recreational and Tourism Use Technical Report • community-based non-governmental organizations with interests and knowledge in particular marine use issues (e.g., fisheries organizations, recreational use organizations); • results of Aboriginal engagement activities and non-traditional marine resource use information from potentially affected Aboriginal communities; and • discussions with key informed sources were important in the baseline data collection process in that they allowed the study team to: − verify and interpret information from existing literature and other desktop sources; − obtain qualitative information about marine use patterns and existing interfaces with marine vessel traffic; and − identify and access additional information sources. The MCRTU technical discussions were also essential in the issue-scoping process. They facilitated the identification and framing of key interests and issues related to the anticipated increased Project-related marine vessel traffic, as well as facilitated input regarding mitigation, enhancement and monitoring measures. Further sources of primary data included: • results of consultation conducted by other ESA disciplines; • GIS tools to determine spatial relationships of source data to marine shipping activities; • results of open houses and community gatherings; and • professional observations during field visits. All key informant discussions conducted are noted in the references list in Section 7.0 if this report and are listed in Table 2.1-1. All primary information collection was documented via Project-wide stakeholder engagement tracking protocols, as described in Volume 3 and summarized in Section 3.0 of Volume 8A. 3.7 Data Context and Limitations The level of information presented differs between each of the indicators. The level of detail presented is only that which is required to support a robust assessment of Project interactions with marine users in the RSA. Fisheries and Oceans Canada Fisheries Data For commercial fishing, spatial fisheries data are used to express the level of fishing activity across the study area. Publicly available data are provided by DFO in 4 km x 4 km grid cells, with the exception of data on salmon fisheries. The data for salmon fisheries are provided by Pacific Fisheries Management Area (PFMA) and sub-area, which are geographical divisions used by DFO to facilitate fisheries management (Figure 3.7.1). PFMAs and sub-areas shown in Figure 3.7.1 are referenced throughout Section 4.2 in descriptions of locations of fishing activities in the Marine RSA. DFO applies a “three-party rule” to the release of fisheries data. The rule states that in the case of three or fewer vessels reporting fishing activity from the same sub-area or grid cell, the information for that area will not be released. The rule is used for reasons of confidentiality, per the Access to Information Act 20(1) (b, c), which specifies that information that is supplied in confidence to a government institution by a third party must be treated confidentially in order to protect the interests of the party. With respect to commercial fishing, the application of the Act ensures that certain data attributes are suppressed so as not to disclose the precise locations of fishing vessels (BC Marine Conservation Analysis [BCMCA] 2011a). 7894/December 2013 REP-NEB-TERA-00030 Page 3-11 Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC Volume 8B, Marine Transportation Technical Reports Trans Mountain Expansion Project Marine Commercial, Recreational and Tourism Use Technical Report A further limitation of the fisheries data is that the precise location of fishing is not known even when activity is reported for a particular area. For example, actual fishing activity could be concentrated in one or two small areas within a particular grid cell, or along a depth contour in a PFMA sub-area. Effort data for the Marine RSA are extracted from the BC coast-wide dataset and classified into several effort categories, based on the level of effort within the Marine RSA (i.e., the effort categories are based on effort only within the fishing management areas in the region traversed by the Marine RSA and not on the coast-wide dataset). Fishing activity is reported for each fishery as fishing effort, which refers to the total amount of time the vessel is actively fishing within a particular grid cell. Effort is shown variously as the aggregated number of boat days (e.g., for salmon) or soak time (for invertebrate fisheries) over the specified period. Effort is used as a measure rather than catch, since it more accurately depicts where fishing activity tends to be concentrated. The effort data are then aggregated over consecutive years. The datasets used for this technical report vary in the number of years of data available and the way the data are aggregated. For example, shrimp trawl fisheries (beam and otter trawl) data are provided separately by DFO for gear type and species from 2000 to 2009, but for the purposes of this technical report the fishing effort data for all shrimp species over the years provided are combined for each trawl type. For salmon, datasets are available for individual years and gear types, but have been combined from each available year to show aggregated effort for each gear type (seine, gillnet and troll) from 2002 to 2007. The remaining datasets are provided by DFO as cumulative fishing effort data for a specific time period. Other Data Sources Spatial information on marine transportation, recreational use, and tourism use of the Marine RSA are described using results of a marine vessel traffic analysis (see the TMEP TERMPOL 3.2 of Volume 8C), desktop review, discussion with stakeholders, and analysis of publicly available coastal datasets. 7894/December 2013 REP-NEB-TERA-00030 Page 3-12 125°0'0"W 124°0'0"W 123°0'0"W 28-5 28-4 N " FIGURE 3.7-1 0 ' 28-3 0 3 ° N " 9 0 4 ' 0 PACIFIC FISHERY SHEET OF 6 3 ¯ ° 9 MANAGEMENT AREAS (PFMAS) SECHELT PFMA 28 4 28-14 AND SUB-AREAS 29-1 28-2 28-13 DISTRICT GIBSONS TRANS MOUNTAIN 28-1 WEST OF NORT H Coquitlam Pitt 17-11 VANCOUV ER VANCOUV ER Lake Lake EXPANSION PROJECT QUALICUM BOWEN 28-12 reat Cen G tr 19 BEACH ISLAND al L OP ANMORE ake PARKSVILLE PFMA 17 29-2 28-6 CITY