Improving fisheries management of southern BC Chinook and coho salmon by understanding recreational and First Nation participation in a voluntary coded wire tag (CWT) sampling and recovery program

Salmon populations in BC have declined substantially since the 1990’s. A US/Canada Coded Wire Tag (CWT) fishery monitoring program was implemented in the 1980s to help managers understand the status of salmon populations and to make informed management decisions. Currently, the submission rate of heads by the recreational and First Nations Food, Social, and Ceremonial (FSC) fisheries is too low to provide reliable information. One perceived gap is in science communication and outreach. We will work with stakeholders and fishers to improve science communication and outreach, and importantly, to better understand the fishing community. Using quantitative approaches to describe the fishing community will allow us to understand the motivation, values, and potential barriers to participation, thereby allowing targeted science communication and outreach to the intended audience. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Karen Beazley

Student:

Partner:

Essa Technologies Ltd.

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Sustainability & the Environment; Environmental Science and Technology; Education; Aboriginal Affairs

University:

Dalhousie University

Program: