Cortes Island Coastal Plan for Shellfish Aquaculture July 2003 Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management Coast & Marine Planning Branch National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data British Columbia. Coast and Marine Planning Branch. Cortes Island Coastal Plan for Shellfish Aquaculture. Also available on the Internet. ISBN 0-7726-4991-X 1. Shellfish culture - British Columbia – Cortes Island - Planning. 2. Shellfish culture – Government policy - British Columbia. 3. Aquaculture industry - British Columbia – Cortes Island - Planning. 4. Coastal zone management – Government policy – British Columbia – Cortes Island. 5. Cortes Island (B.C.) I. British Columbia. Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management. II. Title. SH367.C3B74 2003 639.4’097111 C2003-960133-1 Contents Contents........................................................................................................................................................ iii Minister’s Letter............................................................................................................................................ v Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................................... vii Acronyms and Definitions ........................................................................................................................... ix 1.0 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Location......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Plan Rationale and Intent .............................................................................................................. 3 1.3 Jurisdiction and Scope................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Current Situation ........................................................................................................................... 4 1.5 Planning Process ........................................................................................................................... 6 1.6 Regional District of Comox Strathcona (RDCS) .......................................................................... 7 2.0 Plan Area Description ....................................................................................................................... 9 2.1 Physical and Oceanographic Features........................................................................................... 9 2.2 Social and Community Profile ....................................................................................................22 2.3 Economic Activities .................................................................................................................... 25 2.4 Current and Anticipated Development Interest........................................................................... 31 3.0 Plan Framework and Direction........................................................................................................ 33 3.1 Use of the Plan ............................................................................................................................ 33 3.2 Strategic Direction: The Vancouver Island Land Use Plan........................................................ 33 3.3 Resource Maps, Planning Units and Unit Data........................................................................... 34 3.4 Shellfish Aquaculture Uses ......................................................................................................... 37 3.5 Use Recommendations for Shellfish Aquaculture ...................................................................... 37 3.6 Determination of Areas Acceptable for Tenure Application....................................................... 37 3.7 Management Conditions and Guidelines..................................................................................... 38 3.8 Planning Unit Direction............................................................................................................... 39 Unit 1 Cortes Island North................................................................................................................... 39 Unit 2 Sutil Channel............................................................................................................................. 41 Unit 3 Carrington Bay.......................................................................................................................... 43 Unit 4 Marina Island ............................................................................................................................ 47 Unit 5 Gorge Harbour .......................................................................................................................... 51 Unit 6 Cortes Island South................................................................................................................... 55 Unit 7 Strait of Georgia........................................................................................................................ 59 Unit 8 Squirrel Cove ............................................................................................................................ 61 4.0 Regulation of Shellfish Aquaculture ............................................................................................... 65 4.1 Agency Review and Regulatory Responsibility.......................................................................... 65 4.2 Enforceable Code of Practice...................................................................................................... 66 4.3 Dispute Resolution and Assessment of Farm Practices .............................................................. 66 4.4 Compliance and Enforcement of Existing Operations in Gorge Harbour................................... 67 5.0 Environmental, Economic and Community Implications of the Plan............................................. 69 5.1 Environmental Implications of Recommendations ..................................................................... 69 Risk Assessment .................................................................................................................................. 69 Methodology ........................................................................................................................................ 69 Additional Studies and Monitoring...................................................................................................... 70 Assessment Results.............................................................................................................................. 71 Summary .............................................................................................................................................. 72 5.2 Economic and Community Implications of Recommendations.................................................. 73 Economic and Community Assessment...............................................................................................73 Cortes Island Coastal Plan for Shellfish Aquaculture iii Methodology ........................................................................................................................................ 73 Assessment Results .............................................................................................................................. 74 Summary .............................................................................................................................................. 76 6.0 Plan Summary and Follow-up......................................................................................................... 77 6.1 Summary of Plan Recommendations .......................................................................................... 77 6.2 Summary of Recommendations for Land Act Notations of Interest............................................ 77 6.3 Marine Conservation & Integrated Coastal Management ........................................................... 78 6.4 Recommended Projects to Enhance Community and Environmental Sustainability .................. 78 6.5 First Nations Considerations ....................................................................................................... 78 6.6 Plan Review and Amendment ..................................................................................................... 79 6.7 Summary of Follow-up Activities ............................................................................................... 79 Appendix 1. Governance Principles for Sustainable Resource Management ...................................... 81 Appendix 2. VILUP Designation ......................................................................................................... 83 Appendix 3. First Nations, Agency, and Interest Group Discussions .................................................. 85 Appendix 4. Decision Tools for Accepting Shellfish Aquaculture Applications, and Guidelines for Siting and Best Management Practices ........................................................................... 87 Appendix 5. Dispute Resolution Process ............................................................................................. 91 Appendix