Home  Infocentre  Publications  Annual Report 2001-2002

Previous Page

Table of Contents

Next Page

5.0 Community Outreach and Stewardship

The Community Outreach and Stewardship Key Activity focuses on involving whole communities in the conservation, protection and enhancement of fish habitat. Communities are typically comprised of business and industry, non-governmental and voluntary organizations, Aboriginal people, government agencies including the education sector, and individual citizens.

Stewardship of fish and fish habitat involves raising awareness and understanding, education, taking action to conserve and restore fish habitat, monitoring and reporting on both the status of fish and fish habitat and on the recognition of successes.

It is recognized in the Habitat Policy that fish habitat cannot be conserved and protected without the active involvement of all Canadians and sectors of society. Thus, DFO has identified the establishment of formal partnering agreements with key stakeholders as one of four priorities for the renewal of the Habitat Management Program (along with streamlining the regulatory process, national consistency and balanced implementation of the Habitat Policy).

A summary of DFO’s partnering and stewardship activities for the management of fish habitat in Canada is provided in this section.

National Highlights

National Headquarters (NHQ) and Regional Community Outreach and Stewardship activities for 2001‑2002 are organized below under three of the strategic directions found in the Habitat Policy, as well as under partnering.

In fiscal year 2001‑2002, there were two areas of focus for NHQ community outreach and stewardship activities. The first was on the completion of the National Fish Habitat Stewardship Action Plan that arose from the Blueprint Initiative, assuring that it was aligned with the Canada Wide Stewardship Action Plan called for by the federal, provincial, territorial Ministers at their September 2001 meeting of Joint Resource Councils. The second was the completion of a partnering framework and strategy.

The purpose of the National Fish Habitat Stewardship Action Plan is to provide a framework to promote a consistent approach to fish habitat stewardship across Canada. It is meant to identify DFO’s national and regional responsibilities in engaging and enabling Canadians to be responsible for conserving, restoring and developing Canada’s fish habitat. It includes prototypes of national and provincial habitat stewardship web portals that enable the effective and efficient sharing of stewardship information and experience across Canada. The Plan is to be presented for approval at the next meeting of Ministers in September 2002.

5.1 Public Information and Education

In order to advance involvement in the conservation and protection of fish habitat, DFO produces a variety of public awareness and education information products and materials in cooperation with stakeholders for use by the media, the public, schools, and sponsors for conferences, seminars, workshops and symposia.

In 2001‑2002, NHQ, in partnership with EC and others, supported the Pan Canadian Network of Faculties of Education Supporting Stewardship for Sustainability Education. This included the preparation of a business plan for the development and implementation of The National Stewardship for Sustainability Schools Recognition Program identified under the Blueprint Initiative. Work was also begun on the development of a Habitat Management and the Fisheries Act publication and on an information kit on DFO’s Habitat Management and Navigable Waters Protection Programs.

	top of page

5.2 Partnering

As reported in the 2000‑2001 Annual Report, a key challenge for the Habitat Program is developing effective partnerships to get the most value added results, given budgetary constraints and the vast range of potential partners. As noted above, partnering was identified as one of the Program’s priorities for 2001‑2002 and beyond, with particular attention being given to the establishment of formal agreements in the form of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and Protocols with provinces, territories and industry on the management of fish habitat.

MOUs identify priority areas for collaboration (e.g. regulatory compliance, integrated watershed planning, stewardship) and establish a governance structure to plan and report on their implementation. Separate Protocols are developed for each priority area identified in the MOU and define the roles and responsibilities as well as processes and procedures that the parties will undertake to implement the MOU. While federal, provincial and territorial MOUs are most often signed bilaterally on behalf of Canada and the province or territory, Protocols normally include all the key stakeholders with responsibilities for the particular activity.

National Headquarters coordinated the development of a national Partnering Strategy and Framework along with the development of “Guidelines for
Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Agreements on Fish Habitat Management”. DFO and the provincial/territorial members of the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers Freshwater Fisheries Task Group worked closely to develop a common vision and cooperative framework for collaboration on fish habitat management. A template for FPT MOUs to be included in the Guidelines document was discussed with provinces and territories. Even though the Guidelines document was not yet completed, the draft template for MOUs proved to be very useful to regions and provinces/territories beginning to negotiate MOUs.

Workshops and other preparatory work to establish MOUs on the management of fish habitat with key industry sectors also intensified in 2001‑2002, with an MOU with the Canadian Electricity Association being the most advanced, closely followed by work with the Forest Products Association of Canada and Ducks Unlimited Canada.

Regional Highlights (Public Information and Education and Partnering)

Examples of regional activities in habitat enhancement during fiscal year
2001‑2002 are highlighted below. Details are provided in Supporting Documents available electronically at <http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/canwaters-eauxcan/infocentre/publications/index_e.asp>.

Newfoundland

• Provided educational presentations to local schools and industry groups to build awareness and understanding of fish habitat conservation, restoration and development. Activities included the launch of the “Oceans as Habitat” exhibit and a poster & T-Shirt contest entitled “Habitat, Yours to Protect” for primary and elementary school children.
• Partnered with various groups to develop interpretative trail signage for a number of projects including: Discovery Trail, Grand Concourse Authority, Conne River and Main Brook.
• Held consultations with local angler associations on the development of a proposed bridge across the Lower Humber River.

Maritimes

• Conducted public information and educational programs for a range of groups including forest companies, universities and livestock owners.
• Supported the work of the Ministerial Special Advisor on consultations regarding fish passage at the Petitcodiac River Causeway in New Brunswick.
• Led public consultations on the City of Fredericton’s proposal for the construction of water and sewer lines crossing of the Saint John River.

Quebec

• Deployed a new work team which focuses on the protection of fish habitat. The team’s mandate is to increase education and awareness among the general public and the proponents on fish habitat, to establish relationships with industries and municipalities to improve compliance with the provisions of the Fisheries Act and to seek partners sharing similar interests.
• To celebrate Oceans Day, various public information activities were held to highlight the contribution of volunteer organizations in the conservation and enhancement of the marine environment. Approximately fifteen non-profit organizations from maritime areas of Quebec gained visibility in regional weekly newspapers as well as on radio and television.
• Over 1,125 young students from approximately twenty elementary schools in the maritime areas of Quebec took part in the activities conducted by Explos-Nature, a non profit organization engaged in education about the marine environment conservation within the program La mer en fugue.
• Published a column on the marine environment and the marine protected area project (MPA) of Manicouagan by the Technical Committee for the establishment of the MPA. Twenty-three (23) articles were published in the weekly newspaper, Objectif Plein-Jour, to inform the local population on various aspects of the project.
• In partnership with the Quebec Wildlife and Parks Corporation, a brochure on the economic, social and ecological importance of fish habitat conservation was produced. Entitled “Le poisson dans tous ses habitats”, it will be published in 2002.
• Consulted representatives of the various regions and communities involved with the preliminary management plan of the MPA of Manicouagan.
  

	top of page

Central and Arctic

• Continued to develop various brochures and series of fact sheet to provide educational and background information to proponents and the general public. More information is available in the region’s Supporting Document.
• Participated in and supported numerous watershed stewardship programs in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
• Developed various outreach products such as the Dock and Shore Primer, the Shore Calendar, websites and posters for mass distribution to promote the conservation and protection of fish habitat.

Pacific

• Produced two more issues of its popular Habitat Enforcement Bulletin on charges, convictions, and case law developments. This news bulletin has now been expanded to a national DFO publication.
• The first ever Horsefly River Salmon Festival was held in September 2001. Hosted by the community of Horsefly, the event was supported by many businesses and agencies, including DFO.
• The Habitat Auxiliary in Salmon Arm developed and distributed an information package for local realtors on the functions of streams and lakes as fish habitat, and the referral process DFO uses to review private land development proposals.
• Fiscal year 2001‑2002 was the fourth year of the five-year regional $35 million Habitat Conservation and Stewardship Program (HCSP), implemented in June 1998. Over one hundred “stewards” were hired by Community Partners using HCSP funds and deployed in communities across British Columbia and the Yukon. Most of the stewards are residents established within their community.
• Participated in a Recovery Team of technical experts focussing on recovery of White Sturgeon, and with an Action Planning Group of interested stakeholders, to seek solutions. White Sturgeon populations in the Nechako and Columbia rivers are likely to become extinct without substantial intervention.
• The region began meetings with the N’laka’pamux First Nation to develop a comprehensive fisheries agreement; and with the Stl’atl’imx First Nation and BC Hydro to develop a formal Technical Working Group to coordinate future fisheries planning and projects.

Previous Page	Table of Contents	Next Page