Report of the Fraser River Panel to the Pacific Salmon Commission on the 1999 Fraser River Sockeye and Pink Salmon Fishing Season.

摘要

Under the Pacific Salmon Treaty, the Fraser River Panel is responsible for in-season management of fisheries that target on Fraser River sockeye and pink salmon within the Panel Area. Prior to the fishing season, the Panel recommends a fishery regime and a management plan for Panel Area fisheries to the Pacific Salmon Commission (PSC). The plan is based on: (1) abundance and timing forecasts and escapement targets for Fraser River sockeye and pink salmon stocks provided by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), (2) international allocation goals set by agreements between the Parties, (3) domestic allocation goals set by each country, (4) management concerns for other stocks and species identified by each country, and (5) historic patterns in migration and fisheries dynamics. The objectives that guide the Panel's decisionmaking are, in descending priority, to achieve: (1) targets for spawning escapement, (2) goals for international allocation, and (3) goals for domestic allocation. The Parties conservation concerns for other species and stocks are addressed throughout the process. The pre-season management plan adopted by the Panel specifies a management scenario that is likely to achieve the escapement targets and catch goals, given the pre-season expectations. Using in-season commercial and test fishing data, estimates of daily escapement past Mission and estimates of stock composition, PSC staff provide in-season updates to the Panel on the abundance, timing and migration patterns by run-timing group. Based on this information and the goals for escapement and catch allocation, PSC staff make recommendations for fisheries. The Panel considers both the information and recommendations and decides on the appropriate course of action. In this way, the Panel modifies the fishing times stated in the plan to respond to deviations from pre-season expectations. The activities of the Panel are facilitated by the Fraser River Panel Technical Committee, who provide the respective National sections of the Panel with technical advice. On June 3, 1999, Canada and the United States agreed on a renewed Annex IV of the Pacific Salmon Treaty. Chapter 4 of the Agreement provided catch sharing arrangements for Fraser River sockeye and pink salmon for the years 1999-2010. Under the terms of the Agreement, the Panel exercised its regulatory mandate in the Panel Area in 1999 only for commercial net fisheries and the Canadian inside (Strait of Georgia) troll fishery. Development of management plans for other species and stocks intercepted in south coast regions is the responsibility of the Southern Panel and the Commission, with actual management in each region the responsibility of the appropriate country.