Access to salmon is managed through the Haida Fisheries Program with some independence of the south (Skidegate) and north (Old Massett) bands. The CHN has never agreed to be guided by the communal licence issued by DFO for Haida FSC fisheries that sets out target catch levels for species, location and timing of fishing, gear type ³ and other conditions (P. Fairweather, Haida Fisheries Program, personal communication). The best-recorded FSC finfishery is the terminal (gillnet) fishery for sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) from various estuaries (Figure 26). The largest sockeye fishery is by gillnet in the Copper River estuary. The Copper is managed by the Haida Fisheries Program for an annual escapement target of ~10,000 sockeye. In 2005, however, there was no food fishery from the Copper Cumshewa Inlet to River at all and escapement was only Skedans long-term red sea urchin research ~4,000 (P. Katinic, Haida Fisheries Program, site personal communication). There were small food takes from the Yakoun, Awun Juan Perez Sound and Naden Rivers in 2005. The low 2005 northern abalone sockeye returns could be related to warm research site ocean conditions perhaps affecting ocean survival. In September to October, there Legend are terminal fisheries for coho (O. kisutch) Red sea urchin closures set aside for and chum (O. keta) salmon in a variety of Haida food, social or ceremonial purposes Red sea urchin or northern abalone creeks. Terminal coho and interception research sites as labelled chinook (O. tshawytscha) are taken by hook 0 20406080100km and line and a summary table of the FSC salmon take from 2000 to 2004 is provided Figure 25. Red sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus in Table 7. Although sockeye dominates franciscanus) and northern abalone (Haliotis the catch, appreciable numbers of chinook, kamtschatkana) research sites and/or closures coho and pink are taken. The hook and line around Haida Gwaii (data courtesy of J. Rogers, FSC take for Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus DFO, Prince Rupert). stenolepis), rockfish species (Sebastes spp.), lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) and sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) is not fully recorded. Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) is mostly Finally, what contemporary FSC seabird taken for spawn-on-kelp or k’aaw (Jones egging and seal hunting that does occur is not 2000). This usually occurs in March to April systematically recorded. Historical reviews in Selwyn Inlet (now that Skidegate Inlet of Haida marine bird and marine mammal stocks are depressed). A combination of low hunting are provided in Harfenist et al. stock abundance and uncertainty of spawn (2002) and Heise et al. (2003) respectively. locations and timing has tended to reduce participation in this fishery (Fradette 2004 b). 3.7.1. Haida Fisheries Program The CHN does not release formal statistics on effort and catch, but for 2003 and 2004 annual An important influence on many regional takes averaged ~4.0 tonnes (Fradette 2004 b). fisheries is exercised by the Haida Fisheries 46 River/ Fishing Annual First Year # Creek Season Mean ± SD Range on Record Jalun Copper May to June 3,364 ± 2,300 25 - 7,960 1983 Yakoun May to June 1,316 ± 767 196 - 2,718 1992 # Awun May to June 774 ± 374 370 - 1,568 1995 Naden Naden July to August 699 ± 574 60 - 1,698 1995 Mathers May to June NCR1 Ain # Gudal June NCR # # Fairfax Inlet June to July NCR Ain May to June NCR # Yakoun Jalun July to August NCR Mercer Awun Mercer August NCR 1 NCR = no significant catch reported from these systems which experience occasional fishing, but low catches # Legend Gudal # # ³ Copper Watershed with estuary indicated by triangle # Mathers 0 20 40 60 80 100 km # Fairfax Inlet Figure 26. Locations of Haida food, social, ceremonial terminal sockeye gillnet fisheries from estuaries of freshwater systems (whole watersheds shown) with a table of numbers of fish caught according to watershed, 1983 to 2004 (data courtesy of Haida Fisheries Program). Program. This Program is the management research or stock assessment of Pacific herring and research arm within the Council of by spawn deposition, red sea urchin, northern the Haida Nation for FSC, commercial and abalone and geoduck clam (Panope abrupta). recreational fisheries. The Program was Other examples of Program activities include: established in 1989 with DFO (still the single • deployment of Fisheries Guardians, largest funding source) and the Program’s with the same basic training as DFO annual budget exceeds $2 million with 11 Fishery Officers, for joint patrols, full-time and >30 seasonal, part-time staff. as well as independent surveillance and regulatory enforcement; Program activities include managing the • co-management with DFO of the commercial fishing assets of the Haida Nation commercial intertidal razor clam fishery that include operating a 57 ft (17.5 m) seiner on North Beach - now in its 11th year; and plus a fleet of small vessels and 23 commercial communal licences as listed in (Table 8). • co-chairing the (CHN/DFO) Joint As well, the Program operates the Pallant Shellfish, Herring, Salmon, and Creek salmon hatchery, monitors salmonid Groundfish Technical Committees for escapement in streams, oversees the terminal scientific aspects of stock assessments and sockeye FSC fisheries and records some management in which DFO advises on recreational fisheries (i.e., Creel surveys). the appropriate science needed for tabled The Program also maintains a dive team for management issues and the Program gathers the field data for analyses. 47 Table 7. Haida food, social and ceremonial (FSC) Table 8. Type and number of Aboriginal Communal takes of salmon species by interception gillnet, Commercial licences allocated to the Council of the terminal gillnet and interception trolling according Haida Nation (data courtesy of Haida Fisheries to Pacific Fishery Management Area (PFMA) from Program). These licences were negotiated at the Record of Management Strategies-Salmon, 2000 different times under three separate agreements to 2004 (Fradette 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 a, 2005). between the Haida and DFO. All licences now operate within DFO's Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy. Numbers of Salmon Concerning the other major fisheries around Haida 1 Year PFMA Sockeye Coho Pink Chum Chinook Gwaii, the Haida Nation does not hold any 2000 1 4,762 325 0 1,150 430 Aboriginal Communal Commercial licences for 2 (E) 4,670 1,500 0 300 0 geoduck clam, prawn, groundfish trawl, groundfish 2 (W) 0 250 0 0 200 hook and line (schedule II), rockfish (outside) hook Total 9,432 2,075 0 1,450 630 and line and sablefish. 2001 1 5,308 1,250 6,000 525 790 Type (number) of Aboriginal 2 (E) 2,794 1,500 0 2,000 0 Communal Commercial 2 (W) 300 550 0 50 400 Fishery by IFMP1 licences Total 8,402 3,300 6,000 2,575 1,190 Razor clam intertidal2 FZ2 (1) 2002 1 9,459 1,151 752 728 1,537 Dungeness crab trap FR (2) 2 (E) 3,009 650 0 1,000 0 2 (W) 100 400 0 50 700 Red sea urchin dive FZC (1) 3 3 3 Total 12,5682 2,201 752 1,778 2,237 Salmon (northern FAG (7) / FAS (1) / FAT (5) British Columbia) 2003 1 12,608 1,000 3,000 150 2,030 Pacific herring FH4 (2) / FHS4 (1) / FJ4,5 (1) 2 (E) 3,965 50 0 0 0 2 (W) 500 250 0 0 500 Pacific halibut FL (2) Total 17,073 1,300 3,000 150 2,530 1 IFMP = Integrated Fishery Management Plan issued annually by DFO 2004 1 9,043 1,000 3,000 100 2,530 2 in this co-managed (Haida-DFO) fishery, the Haida Fisheries 2 (E) 4,219 50 0 0 0 Program issues almost 300 licences to individual diggers (see Table 10) 2 (W) 500 500 0 50 700 3 FAG = salmon by gill net-aboriginal Total 13,762 1,550 3,000 150 3,230 FAS = salmon by seine-aboriginal FAT = salmon by troll-aboriginal 1 Pacific Fishery Management Areas (PFMAs) are illustrated in 4 FH = herring roe by gill net-aboriginal Figure 27 FHS = herring roe by seine-aboriginal 2 does not include ~9,500 sockeye taken in Johnson Strait for FJ = herring spawn-on-kelp-aboriginal Haida FSC needs 5 besides the Council of the Haida Nation having one J licence, one each is also held by Old Massett Band Council and Skidegate Band Council 3.8. MARINE COMMERCIAL FISHERIES N.A. Sloan the application of fishery technologies, industry subsidies and bureaucratic inertia have led to overfishing and ecological “Fisheries provide the dominant extractive use of the destruction (Jackson et al. 2001; Hilborn et al. coastal realm.” (Ray and McCormick-Ray 2004) 2004 a; Bundy 2005; Crowder and Norse 2005; Hilborn 2005; Pauly et al. 2005; Preikshot and With finfish populations and their age Pauly 2005; Ward and Myers 2005; Berkes structures (particularly for large species) in et al. 2006). Global fisheries are truly in crisis. dramatic decline along with altered marine Reform is, therefore, a topic of vigorous ecosystems world-wide, we have only a short debate in which fishery science is beginning period to attempt to reverse this process to address fishing effects on ecosystems and (Pauly et al. 2005). Most coastal environments to more openly weigh the industry’s risks and with healthy fish populations are either uncertainties. This is useful global context as relatively inaccessible to humans (Pauly we recount local fisheries of Haida Gwaii. et al. 2005), or are sparsely populated, such as Haida Gwaii. There is now widespread Full review the human history and agreement that traditional, single-species management of commercial fisheries of approaches to marine fisheries management, Haida Gwaii is too large a task within the 48 context of this volume.