Question Period Note: Thompson and Chilcotin Steelhead Trout CSAS Report

• Our government recognizes and shares the concerns of British Columbians around declining Steelhead Trout returns. Conservation of Steelhead populations is a priority.
• Following an emergency assessment in early 2018, a Species at Risk Act listing process was undertaken, which included expedited science advice and consultation.
• The decision was made not to list in 2019. Rather, a joint federal-provincial action plan was launched to protect and recover Steelhead.
• I have every confidence in the professional integrity of our Department’s scientists, managers, and the rigourous peer review process that is used to generate science advice.
• Strict conservation measures have been put in place to minimize Steelhead bycatch.

• On May 17, 2021, The Narwhal published an article, ‘DFO ignored pleas from scientists, altered report to downplay risks to imperiled steelhead: docs’ which reports on details of a recent Access to information and Privacy (ATIP) release obtained by the BC Wildlife Federation. The article alleges DFO officials changed the results of a scientific 2018 peer-review. This ATIP release was subsequently picked up by additional new outlets in the following days.

Listing process background and status
• Thompson and Chilcotin Steelhead Trout reside in the Fraser River drainage.
• As part of the 2018/2019 emergency listing process, DFO reviewed the published COSEWIC emergency assessment and completed an expedited Recovery Potential Assessment (RPA) for Steelhead Trout considering threats and limiting factors and population modeling trends under different scenarios. The CSAS peer review meeting was attended by relevant experts including, scientists, fisheries managers, stakeholders and Indigenous Groups and the Province.
• The COSEWIC assessment identified declining habitat quality and reduced survival rates while at sea, due to factors such as interception by fisheries, competition from hatchery fish, and possible predation from pinnipeds as the primary source of population declines. This SARA process completed in July 2019 when the Governor in Council made the decision not to list the Steelhead populations under SARA.
• The CSAS peer review ensures a robust, technical review of the evidence and provides the best available science advice in an open and transparent manner. Conclusions for which there is consensus are then formulated into advice and published on the web. In this case, consensus was not achieved on all elements discussed at the CSAS meeting. The resulting Science Advisory Report (SAR) was posted on the CSAS website on October 25th, 2018.
• In 2019 the Government of Canada and the province of BC announced the Steelhead Action Plan which identifies a suite of new conservation measures to reduce mortality and increase survival of Thompson and Chilcotin Steelhead returning to spawn. These measures include fishery closures; freshwater habitat protection and restoration; and, increased science and monitoring activities.
• The Thompson and Chilcotin populations of Steelhead Trout were reassessed as Endangered by COSEWIC in November 2020. Accordingly, a new process to consider whether or not to list these populations under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) is being initiated.

Role of the Province of British Columbia
• Following publication of the SAR, officials from the province of BC contacted DFO to discuss the advice and a number of meetings/discussions were held with the province to clarify the CSAS review process and roles and responsibilities for participants.
• Steelhead populations are managed jointly by the Province of British Columbia and Fisheries and Oceans Canada who are implementing the Steelhead Action Plan together.
• The Steelhead Action Plan contains conservation measures that to reduce mortality and increase survival of Thompson and Chilcotin Steelhead returning to rivers to spawn. These measure include fishery closures, freshwater habitat protection and restoration; and, increased science and monitoring activities.
• The Province is responsible for freshwater recreational fisheries while DFO maintains responsibility for First Nations, commercial and recreational marine salmon fisheries.

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