Socio-Economic Risk Assessment of the Presence of Zebra Mussel in Lake Winnipeg, Red River, Nelson River and Cedar Lake
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___ Socio-Economic Risk Assessment of the Presence of Zebra Mussel in Lake Winnipeg, Red River, Nelson River and Cedar Lake FINAL REPORT Policy and Economics Central and Arctic Region April 28, 2017 Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1 Objectives of the Study ............................................................................................................................. 2 Organization of the Study ......................................................................................................................... 3 Chapter 1: A Brief Overview of the Study Area ............................................................................................ 4 Socio-Demographic Profile ....................................................................................................................... 4 A Brief Overview of Lake Winnipeg .......................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 2: Methodology Adopted ................................................................................................................ 7 Data Sources ............................................................................................................................................. 8 Scope of the Study .................................................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 3 - Baseline Values of Activities around Lake Winnipeg (including the Red and Nelson Rivers and Cedar Lake) ................................................................................................................................................. 10 Water Use ............................................................................................................................................... 10 Commercial Fishing ................................................................................................................................. 12 Recreational Fishing ................................................................................................................................ 14 Recreational Hunting .............................................................................................................................. 15 Recreational Boating ............................................................................................................................... 16 Wildlife Viewing ...................................................................................................................................... 16 Ecosystem Services ................................................................................................................................. 17 Option Value ........................................................................................................................................... 19 Non-Use Value ........................................................................................................................................ 19 Economic Contribution – At a Glance ..................................................................................................... 20 Limitations/Gaps Identified in the Study ................................................................................................ 21 Chapter 4: Social and Cultural Values of Lake Winnipeg, the Red River, Nelson River and Cedar Lake .... 24 Chapter 5: Scenario Based on Biological Risk Assessment ......................................................................... 25 Chapter 6: Socio-Economic Impact Assessment ......................................................................................... 26 Water Use ............................................................................................................................................. 276 Commercial (Net) Fishing ........................................................................................................................ 27 Recreational Fishing ................................................................................................................................ 30 Recreational Boating ............................................................................................................................... 32 Other Recreational Activities .................................................................................................................. 32 Ecosystem Services ................................................................................................................................. 33 Social and Cultural Impact ...................................................................................................................... 33 Chapter 7: Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 35 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................ 38 Matrix 1: Total Economic Valuation Flowchart ........................................................................................... 44 Definitions ............................................................................................................................................... 45 ii Annex 3(a): Landings and Landed Values of Commercial fisheries by Major Species in Lake Winnipeg, the Red River, Nelson River and Cedar Lake in 2015 ........................................................................................ 49 Annex 3(b): Landings, Landed Values and Market Values of Commercial fisheries by Lake/River in Lake Winnipeg, the Red River, Nelson River and Cedar Lake in 2015 ................................................................ 50 Annex 4: Fish caught by Recreational Anglers by Species in Lake Winnipeg, the Red River, Nelson River and Cedar Lake in 2010 ............................................................................................................................... 50 iii Introduction Lake Winnipeg is the the sixth-largest freshwater lake in Canada and 10th largest freshwater lake in the world. Its drainage basin is about 953,000 square km in size (second in size in Canada to the MacKenzie River Basin (Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board, 2006)) and includes parts of four provinces in Canada (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Ontario) and four states of the United States (US) (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota).1 The shoreline of the lake is about 1,750 kilometers long (Lake Winnipeg Quick Facts, Sustainable Development).2 Lake Winnipeg’s drainage basin is home to more than 7 million people – about 5.5 million in the Canadian portion (including 95% of the residents of the three Prairie Provinces (Clean Environment Commission, 2015) and over 1.5 million in the US portion.3 More than 23,000 permanent residents live in 30 communities along the shores of Lake Winnipeg, including 11 First Nations communities (Lake Winnipeg Quick Facts, CWS). Lake Winnipeg provides drinking water and supports wetlands, and a variety of landscapes, plants, fish and wildlife. The lake also provides water for agriculture, factories and industries, and hydroelectric generation. The lake supports world-class commercial and recreational fisheries and recreational activities in Canada, and provides both tangible and intangible benefits to Canadian residents. Lake Winnipeg is a major source of subsistence fishing for most families living in fisheries based communities and plays a central role in preserving the traditional lifestyle of the First Nations peoples (Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board, 2006). Lake Winnipeg is facing threats from the increasing number of aquatic invasive species4 (AIS) that are weakening/threatening the health of the lake, and affecting both activities linked to the lake and the utilities it generates for the economy.5 Zebra Mussel, AIS from the North American perspective, is well-known to be responsible for significant impacts on native species and associated human activities (e.g. commercial fishing, angling) through ecological damage, habitat alterations and direct competition for resources. While the degree to which lake ecosystems are impacted is highly variable, the impacts of Zebra Mussel have been well documented in lakes across Europe and North America (e.g. Robinson, Knowler, Kyobe & Bueno, 2013; Marbek, 2010a; Thomas, 2010; Ludyanskiy, McDonald & MacNeill, 1993). 1 See Annex 1 for the map of the study area. 2 Several major rivers flow into Lake Winnipeg including the Red (including the Assiniboine) (16%), Winnipeg (50%), and Saskatchewan rivers (25%) (Environment Canada [EC] and Manitoba Water Stewardship [MWS], 2011). Only Nelson River flows out of Lake Winnipeg (Lake Winnipeg Quick Facts, CWS; Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board, 2006). http://www.gov.mb.ca/waterstewardship/water_quality/lake_winnipeg/facts.html. 3 About 80% of the population lives in major urban centres including Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina, Brandon, and Winnipeg in Canada, and Grand Forks and Fargo, North Dakota (EC and MWS, 2011; Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board, 2006). 4 AIS is defined as organisms not native to a region that when introduced, either intentionally or accidentially, out- compete native species for available resources.