Adapting to the Reintroduction of the Sea Otter: A Case Study with the Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ First Nations by Gwyn Thomas BA, University of British Columbia, 2010 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Resource Management (Planning) Report No. 712 in the School of Resource and Environmental Management Faculty of the Environment © Gwyn Thomas SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2018 Copyright in this work rests with the author. Please ensure that any reproduction or re-use is done in accordance with the relevant national copyright legislation. Approval Name: Gwyn Thomas Degree: Master of Resource Management (Planning) Report No.: 712 Title: Adapting to the Reintroduction of the Sea Otter: A Case Study with the Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ First Nations Examining Committee: Chair: Jonathan Boron PHD Candidate Evelyn Pinkerton Senior Supervisor Professor Anne Salomon Supervisor Associate Professor Date Defended/Approved: September 7, 2018 ii Ethics Statement iii Abstract Sea otters became extirpated in BC by the early 1900s, but 89 were reintroduced to the northwest coast of Vancouver Island between 1969-1972, and as of 2013 there are now over 5,500 sea otters on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Sea otters are voracious predators, weighing as much as 100 pounds and consuming as much as 25% of their body weight every day, and are in direct competition with First Nations for both culturally and economically important sea food like sea urchins, crab, clams and abalone. Although First Nations would like to hunt sea otters to protect important beaches and reefs this is currently illegal because sea otters are a protected species. This research examined the current sea otter management regime as well as alternative management options to explore the idea of managing sea otters using a small-scale harvest. This research also explored kelp harvesting as an economic opportunity to help mitigate the loss of revenue from clams. Keywords: First Nations; Sea otters; Kelp harvesting; Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’, Co-management; Political ecology iv Dedication This project is dedicated to the late Dr. Wolfgang Haider. I’m very thankful that he accepted me into the REM program and that I had the opportunity to have him as my supervisor for my first year in the program. v Acknowledgements I am very grateful to my senior supervisor Evelyn Pinkerton who was extremely supportive and helpful with finding me a new project when I was forced to change projects following the death of Wolfgang Haider. I am also grateful to my other committee member Anne Salomon for all of her feedback. I am thankful to the Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ for their friendliness and willingness to talk with me while I spent 13 days in Houpsitas conducting interviews, and for the edits that Ron Frank did on my paper. I am thankful to everyone else who allowed me to interview them especially Dr. Louis Druehl who was extremely helpful with answering all my questions about kelp harvesting. I am very appreciative of my family for all their support throughout this process and their willingness to let me bounce ideas off of them, and give me feedback on my research. vi Table of Contents Approval ............................................................................................................................ ii Ethics Statement ............................................................................................................... iii Abstract ............................................................................................................................ iv Dedication ......................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. vii List of Tables .................................................................................................................... ix List of Figures.................................................................................................................... x List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1. ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 1.2. Political ecology ...................................................................................................... 2 1.3. Summary of 699 ...................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 2. Research Methods and Limitations ......................................................... 6 2.1. Methods .................................................................................................................. 6 2.2. Limitations. .............................................................................................................. 9 Chapter 3. Federal Policies that have impacted the Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ 11 3.1. Description of Houpsitas ....................................................................................... 11 3.2. Impact of government policies on access to marine resources............................. 12 Chapter 4. The sea otter problem ............................................................................. 21 4.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 21 4.2. History of sea otter management within BC .......................................................... 21 4.3. Sea otter controversy ............................................................................................ 23 4.4. Stewart’s research ................................................................................................ 25 4.5. Interviews with the Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ residents .................................... 28 4.6. Recovery strategy for the sea otter in Canada ...................................................... 31 4.7. Nuu-chah-nulth sea otter management plan ......................................................... 36 4.8. Management of sea otters in Alaska ..................................................................... 37 4.9. Evaluation of sea otter management plans as forms of co-management ............. 39 4.10. Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 47 Chapter 5. Kelp ........................................................................................................... 49 5.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 49 5.2. Kelp definition ........................................................................................................ 50 5.3. Global seaweed market ........................................................................................ 50 5.4. Sustainable kelp harvesting .................................................................................. 51 5.5. Interviews in Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’ ...................................................................................... 53 vii 5.6. Marketing and distribution ..................................................................................... 55 5.7. Compatibility with people in Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’ ............................................................... 56 5.8. Limitations ............................................................................................................. 62 5.9. Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 63 Chapter 6. Conclusions and future research .......................................................... 64 6.1. Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 64 6.2. Future research ..................................................................................................... 65 6.2.1. Protecting clam beaches ............................................................................... 65 6.2.2. Kelp harvesting ............................................................................................. 66 References ..................................................................................................................... 68 Appendix A. Interview Questions ............................................................................ 78 Appendix B: Oral Consent Script ................................................................................ 81 Appendix C: Kelp harvesting opportunity information sheet that was circulated in Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’ ......................................................................................................... 83 viii List of Tables Table 1: Stewart’s Survey Results (Stewart 2006) ............................................... 26 Table 2: Mitigation Recommendations developed by participants from workshops in 2004 (adapted from Dovetail Consulting 2004) ................................... 33 Table 3: Management recommendations