Resource: Water and salmon issues and options for conservation and governance improvements in the lower Fraser River
Authors / Publisher: Watershed Watch Salmon Society, prepared for the Fraser Salmon and Watershed Program, Pacific Salmon Foundation and Fraser Basin Council
Date: February 2007
Summary:
The Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) contracted Watershed Watch Salmon Society to prepare an overview on water issues relevant for salmon conservation for the Fraser Salmon and Watershed Program (FSWP), which PSF runs with the Fraser Basin Council. Craig Orr, Stan Proboszcz, and Tanis Douglas of WWSS, and Linda Nowlan, an environmental lawyer and consultant, prepared this report. The report describes several potential roles for the FSWP on water management and policy.
The report provides an overview of current issues in water policy in BC, concentrating on areas where there are opportunities for the FSWP to:
- integrate water use with watershed and fish sustainability planning, as proposed in the FSWP planning framework;
- convene similarly interested groups to discuss programs, issues, shared concerns and possible solutions;
- influence legislation (i.e. upcoming revision of Water Act, proposed amendments to federal Fisheries Act);
- move the research agenda on ‘water for fish’ forward; and
- link with other ongoing processes.