Category Archives: Facility work

References on the Benefits of MPAs

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It is important for our deliberations on the MPA to have information available on research that has been done on the benefits to the ecosystem and to fisheries enhancement when MPAs are established. Also the value of the establishment of a buffer zone for maintaining the ecological integrity of a reserve is discussed. This would reduce the likelihood of accidental incursions and would simplify enforcement activities,.
The following references provide information from the research experience gained from a number of international examples

1.The Science of Marine Reserves: PISCO 2007

This is probably the best resource available on the research that has been done on benefits of marine reserves on the web. It can be downloaded in its entirety.

http://www.piscoweb.org/publications/outreach-materials/science-of-marine-reserves
In 2007, PISCO updated The Science of Marine Reserves, an educational booklet originally published in 2002. The booklet is now presented in three versions: a U.S. version in English and Spanish, an international version in English, and a Latin American and Caribbean version in English and Spanish. The booklets are accompanied by a 15-minute video first released in 2002.
These resources provide the latest scientific information about reserves in an understandable and accessible format. They are designed to be used by natural resource managers, government officials, scientists, and the interested public.

2.Big Profit From Nature Protection:
On the BBC website from November 13, 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8357723.stm

“Money invested in protecting nature can bring huge financial returns, according to a major investigation into the costs and benefits of the natural world.”

“The new analysis takes the economists to the undersea realms of fisheries and coral reefs.
Conservation groups have repeatedly called for a vast expansion in protection for marine ecosystems, both to conserve biodiversity and as a longer-term boost to fisheries yields.
Mr Sukhdev said there was a powerful economic case for this as well.
“If we were to expand marine protection from less than 1% to 30%, say, what would that cost?
“Establishing reserves, policing them and so on, would cost about $40-50bn per year – and the annual benefit would be about $4-5 trillion.”
The benefits would come from increasing fish catches and tourism revenue and – in the case of reefs – protecting shorelines from the destructive force of storms.”

3. Marine Protected Areas Finding a Balance between Conservation and Fisheries Management.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
http://www.fathom.com/course/21701790/session3.html

Another contribution scientists have made is in identifying the value of protecting fish so that they grow large and reproduce. In the early 1990s scientists compared the fecundity and egg production of a 60-centimeter red snapper with that of a 40-centimeter red snapper. Despite the fact that the older, larger fish is only one-third greater in length than the younger fish, this increase in length translates into a twelve-fold increase in biomass. Moreover, the larger fish produces the same number of eggs as 212 of the 40-centimeter fish. This difference emphasizes how the relationship between fecundity (the number of eggs produced by a female) and fish size increases disproportionately as older fish allocate more energy to reproduction while young fish allocate more energy to growth. This means that a larger average size of fish in a population can have profound effects on the reproductive potential of that population and its ability to renew depleted populations.

4.Economics of Marine Protected Areas
FCRR 2001, Vol. 9(8)
Sumaila, U. and Alder, J. (eds). 2001.Economics of Marine Protected Areas.
A Conference held at the UBC Fisheries Centre, July 2000

http://www2.fisheries.com/archive/publications/reports/report9_8.php

“Abstract
This Report documents most of the presentations given at an international conference on the Economics of Maine Protected Areas (MPAs) on July 6 to 7, 2000 at the UBC Fisheries Centre. MPAs are areas in a marine habitat that are closed either partially or completely to fishing. They have recently been promoted as complements to traditional fisheries management in the literature. The conference sought to provide a forum for academics, government and private sector actors to present, share ideas, information and models for assessing the benefits of MPAs. The focus of the conference was on the analysis and modelling of economic and social aspects of MPAs. As the papers in this volume show, the presentations were multidisciplinary in scope, covering the state of the art in the analysis of the use of MPAs as management tools for sustainable fisheries.
Results reported at the conference include:
• protecting one of the subpopulations in a stochastic model reduces the sum of squared deviations of catches and effort while the average catch increases;
• to assess the potential benefits of MPAs to fisheries one needs to factor in possible benefits arising from improvements in habitat within reserves, and the lower management costs that MPA implementation could lead to;
• the success of MPAs hinges on the development of economic alternatives for former users of the areas protected;
• if the current fisheries management system is inefficient and no improvement is expected, it is very hard to provide an economic reason for introducing MPAs;
• incorrectly sized or located MPAs may increase the risk of depletion;
• small MPAs with artificial reefs achieve little to avert collapse of fisheries or shift towards catches of low trophic level species;
• accounting for the non-consumptive economic value of fish abundance and size may have a large impact on the economic viability of ecologically functional MPAs;
• in the presence of a limited entry license system, reserve creation can produce a win-win situation where aggregate biomass and the common license price increase;
• MPAs can have differential impacts on the various players involved in a fishery;
• the possibility of spatial heterogeneity in fish stocks implies that an MPA can impact on biodiversity in potentially undesirable ways;
• MPAs can help hedge against uncertainty, especially in cooperatively managed fisheries;
• the precautionary approach in fisheries management implies that economic loss due to the implementation of MPAs will have to be very large to make the establishment of MPAs economically unwise.”

5. International History Of Marine Protected Areas

http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9994&page=145
“The concept of protecting marine areas from fishing and other human activities is not new. In the nonmarket economies of island nations in Oceania (Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia), measures to regulate and manage fisheries have been in use for centuries. These include the closing of fishing or crabbing areas, sometimes for ritual reasons but also for conservation when the ruler decided an area had been overfished or needed protection because it served as a breeding ground for fish that would supply the surrounding reefs (Johannes, 1978). In the broader, global context of conventional fisheries management, Beverton and Holt (1957) provided the first formal description of the use of closed areas in fisheries management. This work was in part inspired by the increase in fish stocks observed in the North Sea after World War II when the fishing grounds were inaccessible because of the presence of mine fields. Since then, fishery managers have used closed areas to allow recovery of overfished stocks, to shelter young fish in nursery grounds, to protect spawning and migrating fish in vulnerable habitats, and to deny access to areas where fish or shellfish are contaminated by pollutants or toxins (Rounsefell, 1975; Iverson, 1996).

Marine Reserves and Protected Areas Provide a Strategy for Ecosystem-Based Management
A growing body of literature documents the effectiveness of marine reserves for conserving habitats, fostering the recovery of overexploited species, and maintaining marine communities. There is a rising demand for ecosystem-based approaches to marine management that consider the system as a whole rather than as separable pieces of an interlocking puzzle. Congress recognized this in the 1996 reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (NOAA, 1996a) –”

6. Protecting the Spawning and Nursery Habitats of Fish: The Use of
MPAs to Safeguard Critical Life-History Stages for Marine Life

http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=cache:d6XnFnt4rZ4J:depts.washington.edu/mpanews
/MPA77.pdf+benefits+to+fisheries+of+MPA&hl=en&sig=AFQjCNE-mM0Aw1O43e3WOc6gv5dxrHJTvQ

This article shows how commercially important fish species reproduce in spawning aggregation areas which can have a spill-over effect resulting in fishing enhancement in adjacent areas.

7. MPA NEWS search:
http://www.googlesyndicatedsearch.com/u/mpanews?site=search&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&hq=inurl%
3Adepts.washington.edu%2Fmpanews&q=benefits+to+fisheries+of+MPA&btnG=Google+Search

Article #5 is one of many articles in the MPA NEWS out of University of Washington. A search on their site for benefits of marine Protected areas provides this list of references:

8. Towards Networks of Marine Protected Areas: IUCN and WCPA: The MPA Plan of Action for IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas
http://www.protectplanetocean.org/resources/docs/PlanofAction.pdf

“This Plan of Action recognizes that MPAs are a tool, not an end in themselves. They are essential in order to protect marine biodiversity and achieve sustainable fisheries. They provide insurance against the common global problem of failure of conventional fisheries management based on control of fishing effort and/or take. The contrasting combination of the physical connectivity of seawater combined with the increasingly known genetic isolation of marine species means that networks of MPAs are vital tools to support marine ecosystem health. Networks of MPAs, within single ecosystems but spanning entire seas and ocean realms (such as the High Seas), are necessary to ensure that biological connections are maintained between interdependent MPAs. A common example is where larvae from one MPA support populations of one or more species within other MPAs. A comprehensive, adequate and representative system
of MPA networks can provide protection for all major ecosystem components in conjunction
with their characteristic habitats and species at an appropriate scale within and across each bioregion. It should have the required level of management to ensure ecological viability and integrity, address the full range of human activities, and be sufficiently duplicative so that a single event, such as an oil spill, would not eradicate that diversity.”

9. Protected Areas, How marine Protected Areas Help Eliminate Poverty
http://www.nature.org/initiatives/protectedareas/howwework/art23185.html
A good example from Fiji of how MPAs can contribute to the social and economic well being of coastal areas in the developing world. Also see the video

10. Marine Protected Areas for the Temperate and Boreal Northwest Atlantic: The Potential for Sustainable Fisheries and Conservation of Biodiversity
Northeastern Naturalist, Vol. 7, No. 4, Symposium Proceedings: History, Status, and Future of the New England Offshore Fishery (2000), pp. 419-434 (article consists of 16 pages)
• Published by: Humboldt Field Research Institute
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3858522

“Abstract
Year-round no-take marine protected areas (MPAs) can enhance conservation of exploited species and biodiversity overall. MPAs have the potential to sustain living marine resources and their support systems at genetic, population-community, ecosystem, and landscape levels. From a fisheries perspective they can protect spawning and nursery areas of key species, maintain age structure (retain older, proportionately more fecund individuals), protect key habitats, and reduce bycatch. MPAs are used sporadically in management of fisheries and are generally based on predicted responses for populations of exploited taxa. However, identification of representative, rare, and high diversity areas of temperate and boreal marine systems, especially on outer continental shelves, is still in its infancy. There is information available from both the scientific literature and from fishers on the life history and behavior of economically important species, on species assemblage patterns, and on physical structure of the marine environment. Such information could be used as a starting point for identifying areas of particular importance to populations or communities of fishes and for the conservation of diversity at the regional scale. Identification of such areas could serve as a basis to design an experimental network of MPAs. Such MPAs, designated for the purpose of maintaining or developing sustainable fisheries, must explicitly be designed within an experimental context, maintaining flexibility for changes in regulations as new information becomes available. Monitoring change in exploited and non-target populations (intra- and inter-guild), habitat complexity indices, and diversity of sentinel taxa (for assessing maintenance of diversity) will be needed to provide feedback to assess the efficacy of MPAs and to recommend changes in the regulatory framework.”

Return to The RRAB Index.

Options on Alternate Configurations of Buffer zones

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This file presents several possible configurations of buffer zones for the proposed MPA. It is important to recognize that this is only a proposal from one participant in how boundaries may be modified in the future as new research becomes available:
G. Fletcher, November 20, 2009,

A buffer zone for the MPA would solve several problems.
  • It could help eliminate the uncertainty over the actual reserve boundary, making it possible to monitor activities and report infractions more easily.
  • A buffer zone could ensure that such activities as ocean dumping, bilge discharge or ocean mining would not leave Race Rocks subject to possible future problems.
  • A buffer zone for commercial harvesting in place, would allow food resources of the species of the ecological reserve to be less compromised.
  • By requiring research permits for this area, regulation of all kinds of research can be better directed.
Below are presented a number of possible alternatives for defining a buffer zone. Units could be calculated in nautical miles also. Advantage of a straight side is that it allows accurate navigational points. Disadvantage -distance varies from tower.
#1: 3km square buffer around reserve #2: 4km parallel to reserve #3: 3km circle from reserve
bufferzone1 bufferzone2a bufferzone3-1

Several references mention the advantage of a buffer zone with such statements as “The buffer zones would reduce the likelihood of accidental incursions and would simplify enforcement activities,.”

In addition there will be no overflights by aircraft except where required by emergency operations or by Coast Guard at times acceptable to not interfere with breeding seasons. Cruise ships may not transit inside this 3 Km zone.

Proposals for : Future Modification of the boundaries of the Race Rocks MPA

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This file presents several possible configurations of new boundaries for the proposed MPA. It is important to recognize that this is only a proposal from one participant in how boundaries may be modified in the future as new research becomes available:
G. Fletcher, November 20, 2009,
We are proposing that a reconsideration of the boundaries of the MPA be placed on the table for future deliberations. It should be noted that as more research becomes available helping to fill the gaps in knowledge about population distributions in the area, there may be a need to change the boundaries. It is mentioned in several of the references on MPA creation that this is often done to keep up with current scientific knowledge. This is intended to address the issue of the Ecosystem-based approach which is strongly reflected in the Oceans Act of 1998.
Below are three possible variations on the theme of alternate boundaries. The images are followed by a the rationale for consideration of boundary changes.

bathyunderlay11 bathyunderlay4 bathyunderlay5-1
 OPTION 1. A parallel sided shape to encompass most of the distinct reef of the archipelago. The boundary for a buffer zone being at 3 km. OPTION 2. A triangle covering most of the reef but including a section of the blue 100 meters depth. This may be useful for future population transects through the complete depth profile. OPTION 3:
A multiple zoned buffer which may see different designations of use.

There is a possibility that when they have undergone further research, specific zones currently outside of the protected area boundary, may lead to some unique habitat and ecosystem structure. Below are two such candidate areas:

dunes race_rocks_oblique-1 canyon
Two areas of interest in particular are the large sand dune-like area at over 100 meters depth which lie at either end of the Race Passage Canyon. Although there is no evidence currently on what type of ecosystem exists in that area, we should be prepared to have a flexible approach to boundaries in the future, as these land forms and their habitats could be quite unique. In this side profile of the Race Passage area, along the direction of the yellow line, is a geological fault separating Race Rocks from Vancouver Island.
 The canyon, results in vertical topography along with the resulting ecosystems that are probably unique to the reserve. It may be advisable to protect at least the reef-side wall of this feature if research justified it.

Descriptions of the activities permitted and prohibited
in each of the zones of Option 1:

ZONE 1

In Option 1, a basic trapezoid defines the boundaries of the Marine Protected area within which all species ecosystems and their complete habitat are protected. This designation accomplishes objectives which are within the interests of all the stakeholders.1. The complete underwater “reef” of Race Rocks is protected, ensuring that the habitat of key species is not compromised.

2. Speed limits of all vessels transiting or entering the MPA must be reduced to eliminate wash from wakes.

3. Commercial operations would be required to be registered with DFO as is proposed in the Draft proposal for marine mammals.

4. Approach to marine mammals and seabirds is limited to 100 metres and entrance to the area is prohibited except for service vessels when whales are present. In this zone marine vessels must avoid surface concentrations of foraging seabirds and mammals.

5. Recreational fishing would only be permitted outside of this zone.

ZONE 2This is a buffer zone in which no commercial fishing, extractive operations or marine dumping can occur. Bilge pumping is prohibited and In addition there will be no overflights by aircraft except where required by emergency operations or by Coast Guard at times acceptable to not interfere with breeding seasons. Cruise ships may not transit inside this 3 Km zone.See this file for more information and suggestions on BUFFER ZONES

RATIONALE FOR THIS BOUNDARY PROPOSAL
1. Protection of Fish resources only in the Race Rocks MPA is inadequate and contrary to the purpose of an MPA ” To protect marine species and habitats.” It will be very short- sighted to rush through the MPA process without making a serious effort to do what is best and ecologically sustainable for the long term future.
2. In this way, the complete underwater “reef” of Race Rocks is protected, ensuring that the habitat of key species is not compromised, and that optimal conditions are provided for regeneration of species which will repopulate adjacent areas. Species such as Octopus lay eggs at depth and then migrate up the reef when mature. It is essential to take into consideration the 3 dimensional aspect of the habitat of marine species if we are to achieve near-complete habitat protection.
3. The original purpose of the MPA creation at Race Rocks was to eliminate the jurisdictional problems of administering the marine protected area so that the ecosystem would gain better protection in law. Simplifying the boundaries make it more obvious to users of the resources in the area.
4. Fisheries enhancement in adjacent areas will be much stronger if this complete reef refugia is available. Research in many parts of the world has clearly demonstrated this.This reference provides many examples of the research throughout the world on MPA benefits to fisheries enhancement, and biodiversity .
5. The version of the MPA boundaries proposed in September by DFO might result in the following unresolved problems:

  • Marine birds and their foraging habitat in the waters around Race Rocks, and the nesting habitat of four species of seabirds: black oyster catcher, pigeon guillemot, glaucous -winged gull and pelagic cormorant on Race Rocks are not protected by this act because they are covered by different legislation, some provincial, some federal.
  • Intertidal life on the 9+ Race Rocks islands is protected by Ecological reserve status only, and that designation is only a designation by an order in council by the BC legislature, which could be rescinded .
  • No buffer zone to prohibit such activities as ocean dumping, bilge discharge or ocean mining exists, leaving Race Rocks subject to possible future problems.
  • No buffer zone for commercial harvesting is in place, allowing food resources of the ecological reserve species to be compromised.
  • A Marine Protected Area designation does not necessarily assume it is a no-take area for any kind of harvesting, leaving the resources of the area open to exploitation, and the Rockfish Closure, also a temporary designation, the only protection for fishery resources.
  • Three species of marine mammals, Elephant seals, harbour seals and river otters currently use the Race Rocks islands as a breeding and pupping colony. Two other species, northern and Californian sealions use it as a seasonal haulout. Other legislation is still required to protect those species when they are on land.

History of the Boundary Location for Race Rocks MPA and links to references

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This proposal outlines the history of the boundary designation for the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve and the proposed boundaries offering protection in subsequent years.

There are also links to other files with proposals for establishment of a buffer zone and future boundary modifications for the proposed MPA.

rrecoreschart
 1.1980: The existing ecological reserve boundaries were established to a depth of 20 fathoms or 36.6 meters. This level was chosen because it was a main contour on the existing marine charts of the day and because it would protect the seabed from overharvesting by divers.
2 1990: Under petitioning from BC parks and the ecological reserve warden, DFO, recognizing the significance of protecting more of the complete ecosystem at Race Rocks established a closure of all the reserve to commercial fisheries and a closure to recreational fishing of bottom fish. Fishing was allowed for transitory species such as salmon and halibut only. This designation proved to be difficult to enforce due to the distinction of types of fishing.
boundarydraft
 3. 2000: In January, the MPA Advisory Board proposed boundaries for the reserve which would have straight sides, easily identifiable with coordinates.
This proposal was rejected by the sports fisheries advisory organization.
append5mapa
 4. 2000: At a meeting of the sports fishing organisation and the Race Rocks Advisory Board members, the MPA advisory process agreed to a complete closure on fisheries within the existing ecological reserve boundary. This was a counterproposal to the new MPA boundaries being proposed, and the Advisory Board accepted that condition. It became part of the Proposal to Designate (Race Rocks) Marine Protected Area : 2000,
coord
 This and the chart above were used to designate coordinates of the area in the first MPA proposal.
rockfishconserve
 5. 2004: The areas in this map were proposed as a Rockfish Protection area by DFO.
rockfishclose
 6. 2004: The actual rockfish protection area established was reduced from the above when it was created by DFO. It is now based on the 40 meter depth. All fishing within that zone was prohibited at that time.
rrmpasept09version1
 7. 2009: At the September 25th, 2009 meeting of the Race Rocks Advisory Board, DFO representatives proposed the modification of the MPA boundaries to correspond to the lines indicated .
bathyunderlay
 8. The chart shown here was produced as a request to overlay the projected boundaries on the multibeam sonar map.
racerocksplan
 9. These 3 multibeam sonar images were produced after the first round of MPA advisory meetings, based on research started in 1999. This was the first time that such a detailed profile of the bottom substrate was available. In this and the image below, the colored area represents the topography down to 150 meters.
3d1
 10. The multibeam sonar image modelled from a southerly viewpoint
race_rocks_oblique 11. With this level of imaging now available, it becomes obvious that the existing ecological reserve boundaries do not adequately reflect the geology and geography of the sea bottom and therefore probably do not adequately protect the complete ecosystem of the reef which surfaces as the Race Rocks archipelago. The files linked below provide suggestions for how we may go about dealing with this factor.
 bufferzone2a Link to proposals options on alternate configurations of Buffer zones
 bathyunderlay11 Link to proposal options on alternate MPA reserve boundaries
This proposal has been submitted by Garry Fletcher, the educational director of racerocks.com, a former biology teacher at Lester Pearson College and the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve warden since the beginning of the reserve in 1980.
Link to this MPA benefits file: This reference provides many examples of the research throughout the world on MPA benefits to fisheries enhancement, and biodiversity )
See the other maps and aerial photos of the area on racerocks.com

Race Rocks Advisory Board Resource Documents

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This file is designed for the use of the Race Rocks Advisory Board in order to make available in one index, the resources that are most relevant to the Marine Protected Area Designation Process.

Last update Origin EXISTING VERSION Update version or suggested
changes now in progress– contributions from RRAB members welcome..
2010 DFO DFO Response to RRPAB member questions
2010 Ryan Murphy Draft Socio-Economic Overview: Nov 2010
2010 DFO RRPAB DRAFT Ecological Overview: Nov 2010
2010 DFO Agenda for November 2010 meeting
2010 DFO Draft 1.of Management Plan.
2010 DFO DFO Communications Page with Agenda and Draft or Final version of minutes
( to May 2010 meeting only)
2010 RRPAB Values Input Table Update.Values Input Table of Lester Pearson College (version with embedded links for examples)
2010 rr.com The Race Rocks Marine Protected Area Advisory Board: Index of Events and Documents.
2002 RRAB Draft Management Plan for MPA
2002 PC Parks
2009 DFO Socioeconomic Base Case Update for Race Rocks Proposed Marine Protected Area
1999 G.Fletcher.
rr.com		 Gaps in research .. RREO workshop 1999
2001 DFO Race Rocks Pilot Marine Protected Area, An Ecological Overview, Wright and Pringle, IOS 2001 25mb PDF file Changes needed- R. Murphy
2009 G.Fletcher.
rr.com		 Marine Protected Area General References
2002 Sean Leroy LeRoy, S., 2002. Public Process and the Creation of a Marine Protected Area at Race Rocks, British Columbia.
Master’s Thesis. School of Community and Regional Planning, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.
2009 G.Fletcher.
rr.com		 First Nations and , the Race Rocks Area includes a link to RRAB involvement .
2009 G.Fletcher.
rr.com		 Management Issues: INDEX of the environmental disturbances by humans at Race Rocks.
2009 G.Fletcher.
rr.com		 Ecosystem Index page linking existing inventories, taxonomy and data collection
2009 G.Fletcher.
rr.com		 Education resources index page
2009 G.Fletcher.
rr.com		 MPA benefits
2009 G.Fletcher.
rr.com		 MPA boundary history
2009 G.Fletcher.
rr.com		 Guest research being done at Race Rocks, 1999-2010
2010 G.Fletcher.
rr.com		 New updates to the racerocks.com and racerocks.ca site.
2010 G.Fletcher.
rr.com		 DFO finances on RRAB Process 1999-2010-index
Condensed version with graphs and summary only.		 reinstalled sept 2, 2011
2010 DFO The Oceans Act, 1996 current to March 25, 2010
2010 DFO
Boundary MAPProposed boundary areas
2010 DFO
Boundary MAPProposed boundary areas detail
2010 rrpa meeting Draft of recommendations from the Meeting called by RRPAB members.
2010 G.Fletcher.
rr.com		 Reflections on the Role of Education and Outreach
in the MPA Designation Process, 1998-2010.
2010 Shaw Ocean Discovery centre The Case for RR MPA in 2010
The Case for Race Rocks Marine Protected Area in 2010

DFO expenses from Access to Information Request

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CONTENTS of this File:

1. Background and Rationale for this report .

2. Figure 1: Amounts of DFO Race Rocks MPA Budget, Amount Spent
and Amount Remaining for each year .. 1999-2010

3. Table 1: Yearly budgets, 1999-2010

4. Figure 2: Detailed overview of DFO expenditures on Race Rocks

5. Table 2: Detailed overview table, 1999-2010

6. Figure 3. Pie chart showing expenditures for five categories.

7. Table 3. List of Individual Expenses for the Race Rocks MPA 1999-2010

8. Example of Ecotourism report done for First Nations :2006
(668 KB.pdf file)

9. ATIP Report : A200900266_2010-02-09_09-00-22.pdf (6MB.pdf file)

10. Analysis and Discussion

10b. Followup April 20/2010

11. Condensed version with headers removed, showing graphs.

12. RRPAB Resource Documents

ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION:

Upon receiving this report, I was surprized to note several features:

1. The fact that there was a significant budget for the creation of the Race Rocks MPA almost every year from 1999 to 2010, when the RRAB (Race Rocks MPA Advisory Board ) had been effectively shut down in 2002.

2. The fact that in many years a significant portion of the budget remained unspent at the end of the DFO fiscal year when the process of management of this ecosystem and designate MPA was still being carried on by Lester Pearson College without any financial support from DFO.

3. The large portion of the cumulative budget over the 11 years that was designated for First Nations Liaison and continues to be designated, so far without any evidence of an outcome. ( process still ongoing as of Sept, 2011–)

4. The unavailability of written records showing the deliverables for most of the contracts.. hopefully in the interests of transparency and resource availability they are still to come from DFO.

5. When I made a request for the #8 report above: 2006 report on ecotourism, there was some concern about confidentiality expressed by DFO and then the pdf file referred to above in number 8 was released by DFO. This report, which it turns out after checking with the author of the document, was originally a generic power point presentation, which was never presented to the First Nations groups by the contractor. The simplicity and lack of quality directed a this specific case, represented by an expenditure of $19,000 is obvious. Furthermore, I consider the language and the content of the report to be patronizing to the First Nations who commissioned it and it only leaves me questioning the lack of oversight represented by this expenditure .

6. A request for further explanation of many of the contracts has been made to DFO and I will update this space if and when information is available.

7. The analysis for The Bowie Seamount MPA has so far not been done, but I plan on doing it as well as time allows in order to have comparative figures available.

8. One of the requests in my ATIP that they were not able to accommodate was for similar figures for the creation phase as well as the operation phase for the other MPAs in Canada, the majority of which are on the East Coast. I urge the DFO to make this available or if necessary other individuals to go through the ATIP process in order to retrieve this information and make it public.

9. I was struck by the fact that during the course of 11 years, not one cent was devoted by DFO to doing on the ground scientific research that could meet the GAPS in scientific knowledge that I identified early in the Pilot MPA process in April 1999 at the Race Rocks Ecological Overview Workshop . Furthermore, no funds were ever forthcoming for the ongoing operation of the designate MPA. ( Refer to year 2001 proposal )

10. As per a comment recently of one member of the current Advisory Board, “If DFO really is serious about public advice from an MPA Advisory Boards, It should make all information like this freely and easily available to the Board members.”

11. I would like to thank the individuals in the DFO Access to Information and Privacy office for their advice and cooperation during the process involved in this ATIP request.

FOLLOWUP:

On March 17, 2010, I sent an e-mail to our RRPAB representative from of the Oceans Habitat and Enhancement Division of Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Nanaimo. He had agreed by phone to help clarify some of the specific questions I had about some of the items in the list of expenditures. Below are the results of that query, with his responses in green.

Response April1, 2110

Based on discussion with my manager and our ATIP staff, I suggest that you submit your request for records outlined below through ATIP. In reviewing the records you’re requesting, I note that many of them are not in my own files. Further, going through ATIP provides greater certainty that the records you receive have taken into consideration confidentiality concerns.

I did quickly go through your list below with some responses that you may find useful in posing specific questions to ATIP. To the extent you can keep your questions specific, it would certainly help reduce the search time estimates. Also keep in mind though, that I have files from past staff in boxes. Though they’re labelled to some extent, if I receive an ATIP for files and I know those past staff have had some involvement in the programs relevant to the records, I’m obliged to include in my search estimates the time to go through the boxes that could potentially have relevant records. As mentioned below in a number of spots, I’m not familiar with some. By that, I largely mean that your description didn’t ‘ring a bell’ with me which would suggest that I won’t have the financial records associated in my own files.

1. I mentioned I am missing the March 31 2008  end of year report of expenditures which may have been lumped in with the Endeavour project number.
As mentioned in my email, fiscal year 2008/09 activities included only First Nations liaison work through Aaron Reith and the Socio-economic overview and analysis report (contract carried out by Sunderman). As I understand, those records were provided to you, but may have had a date of 2009.

2. Also although Lisa sent me the Endeavour /Race Rocks end of year summary  for March 2009, It is difficult to separate RR from Endeavour in that one.. Is there any further clarification such as Total Line Object figures  which may help me to pick out the  Race Rocks specific expenditures.
As mentioned above, March 2009 relates to fiscal year 2008/09 and I’ve listed the items related to that year.

3. I have come across another report that  I am unsure about:
Feb 20/01 M.Pakenham Conference Fees? $340.16
I believe he delivered a presentation to this conference as  at least I have seen reference to it in a googled file , however it may be useful to have the whole presentation ( presumably a power point in pdf ) if it is still available.
I do not have this presentation. I would not be confident that it could be readily located. A conference presentation may also have limited utility. That is, I don’t know whether Marc would have written and followed speakers notes written in the presentation. It sounds like you’ve googled the conference, I would suggest the proceedings of the conference would potentially be at least as useful to you.

4. Mar30/00 CRD VEHEAP contribution $6000.00. What is VEHEAP ..of the CRD  was anything produced as a result of  this.
VEHEAP stands for Victoria and Esquimalt Harbours Environmental Action Plan. I don’t have records of this. Further, I would suggest that this was an activity more related to our Integrated Management Programs rather than Race Rocks.

5. Was a report made available from this: Jan29/02 Env.consult , Environment/Environnment 0500 726000008186 $10,000.00
I’m  not familiar with this.

6. Is there documentation or report  on this one? Apr9 Apr/02 sci/env consult Luanne Chew Consulting Services for Completion of MPA Design Reports.
$5000.00
I’m not familiar with this.

7. When it says ” as per attached statement of work”  are those statements available and can they be made public.
as in
——–June 30/09-July13/09-Aaron Reith&Co     Community Liaison for First Nations with Respect to the designation process for the Race Rocks Marine Protected area. See the attached statement of work
——Feb 05/04 –To suport the engagement of Select Douglas Treaty First Nations as per attached statement of work. $15,000.00
——and 17 Aug,18 July 2004 –Songhees First Nation Support the ongoing negotiations of select Douglas Treaty First Nations in SVI in Broad Discussions related to Marine Aquatic Resources /To support neg. with Fed and Prov. Gov’ts of a framework for the cooperative mgt. as per statement of work $25,000.00
That would be a question best dealt with through filing an ATIP

8. What is meant by protection services in this one? and to whom did it get paid?
Feb08, Jan 09/2005 Security Additional Meeting, Protection Services ( Guardians, Commissionaires, security Guards etc.) $5,000.00
I ‘m not familiar with this. 

9. October 99 to December 2000 Axys Environmental Consulting.. Socio-Economic Overview of RR  — Is this the same one we have been looking at recently? if not could we get a copy for our resource files.
This is the  same as the Sunderman report provided to the RRPAB and referenced below.

10. It also is apparent that the socio-economic study update , I believe done in 2009 Prepared by:Randy Sunderman Peak Solutions Consulting Inc. Kamloops, BC  does not seem to be included anywhere in the expenditures up to January 2010, so could you check on that.
 I had understood that was provided in the ATIP. Again, you may wish to check the records provided for fiscal year 2008/09.

11. Dec 99-Feb 2000 Gordon Hanson & Associates Consulting…. was there a report produced for this, and if not what was the nature of the contract?
I’m not familiar with this.

12. The Canadian Hydrographic survey  (done back in 1999, that used the multi-beam SONAR ) does not seem to be represented as far as I can determine. This is probably because it was done by another part of the department, could you check into whether that cost is available as it would be a relevant science portion.
You are correct, it would have been financially coded in Canadian Hydrographic Services (CHS) coding. It may have been Oceans funded, but there could have been a budget transfer to Science Branch for the CHS expenditure.

Thanks for your attention to this. I hope this is not too many questions to pursue. If you can’t resolve all of them we will have to live with that. 

The above comments in the Analysis and Discussion represent the opinion of Garry Fletcher and are not to be interpreted as being the opinions of any other organization or individuals unless indicated otherwise. It is my hope that it can lead to a level of accountability in expenditure by DFO, and transparency to the public about this process.

Garry Fletcher
Victoria, BC
March 25, 2010

(updated April 20, 2010–GF.)

 

 

Values Input Table for DFO MPA discussion

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Lester Peasron College produced the following Values Input Table as part of the discussions for the MPZ Advisory Board.

VALUES INPUT TABLE: for DFO Race Rocks MPA Advisory Board Process.Past, Present, Future Use

Lester B.Pearson College’s first significant interaction with the area was in 1977 as a location for marine biology field trips and diving. Faculty and students initiated the process of getting it preserved as an ecological reserve in 1979:
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/history/rrerhist.htm 

and assisted BC Parks in the preparation of the Management plan.
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/planning/mgmtplns/race_rocks/racerock.html

Since that time there has been a continuous record of student, faculty and staff involvement in doing ecological monitoring in the reserve and in student and visitor field trips,
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/education/education.htm

From the 2005 report on State of Ecological Reserves in BC, ” For the past several years the Ministry has regularly stated that it is committed to shared stewardship and partnerships. Such a commitment by the Ministry requires innovative approaches and resources. The Race Rocks Ecological Reserve is clearly exemplary from a shared stewardship, ecological protection, public education and applied research perspective.”
http://www.ecoreserves.bc.ca/newsissues_files/State%20of%20Ecological%20Reserves%202005%20final.pdf

Pearson College has supported student research at Rocks ,
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/research/research.htm

and the faculty and students have assisted outside scientists in research projects there.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/research/researchexternal.htm

Each year it provides boat cover for the Christmas Bird Count by the Victoria Natural History Society.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/seabirds/xmascount/birdcount.htm

A college faculty member, now retired has continued to serve as Ecological Reserve warden for BC Parks since 1980. and in 1997, the college took over full time management of the Ecological Reserve and the island facilities on a long term lease from BC Parks.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/admin/admin.htm

Lester Pearson College has a high level of participation in R&D and energy projects such as the AXYS wind resource assessment buoy testing
https://racerocks.ca/racerock/data/axystest/jdfwindwave.htm
and the Integrated Energy Project involving solar and tidal energy for the Island.http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/energy/tidalenergy/tidalenergy.htm
There is an ongoing program of retrofitting and enhancement of efficiency to the infrastructure through additional solar panel installations; LED and CFL lighting and battery energy storage has resulted in close to 60 % reduction in fuel consumption and resulting emissions.

It has also implemented more efficient water systems and is currently upgrading the composting toilets…

The college has also had an ongoing ecological restoration program for the island in an attempt to mitigate ecological footprint of former operations on the island.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/eco/ecorestore.htm
It has installed and continues to run a weather station:
https://racerocks.ca/racerock/data/weatherlink/Current_Vantage_Pro.htm
and continues the long term daily water temperature and salinity records for monthly submission to IOS.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/abiotic/temperature/seatemperature.htm
A database is maintained with observations from the ecoguardian and volunteers using remote cameras on tagged and branded marine mammals;
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/marmam/sealion/tracking/tracking.htm

In 2000, Pearson College secured a grant from the Millennium foundation for the installation of a LAN on the island and internet connection passing live remote controlled video and audio to the outside world by microwave.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/video5.htm
The college supports the website racerocks.com which is a non-commercial educational site continually being updated by a volunteer with contributions from staff, students, faculty and outside researchers. This website is used worldwide as a distance education tool, with several specific curriculum programs using the resources contained on the website.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/eco/ecoeducation.htm

Ecological features of importance:
The high currents in the area with nutrient laden water lead to a highly productive ecosystem with high biodiversity of Invertebrates, fish and marine algae.
It is a seabird nesting colony for four species, a migratory stopover for countless migrants and overwintering residence for several thousand gulls of several species. It also provides habitat for several species of endangered and listed plants and animals.

It is the largest marine mammal haulout and birthing colony on southern Vancouver Island and a Northern Elephant seal birthing colony,
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/eco/taxalab/nufar.htm

a harbour seal birthing colony,
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/eco/taxalab/damionw.htm

a haulout for a large colony of Northern ( Steller’s) sea lion from August to April,
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/eco/taxalab/nufar.htm

and a haulout for a large colony of California sea lions especially Sept. to December each year.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/eco/taxalab/carolinem.htm

The college has supported research on hydroids by Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss leading to the identification of over 65 species of that group of cnidarians, several which are new species records.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/hydroid/anitabv.htm

In the racerocks.com taxonomy files, an inventory featuring all individual species from the island is continually being updated as new photographs, videos and observations are available.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/eco/taxalab/taxonomy.htm

A large bank of video archives also forms a core of the documentation of animals and events on the island, 
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives.htm

and the Daily Log section provides a record of daily happenings on the island from the viewpoint of the resident ecoguardian, a monthly photo gallery provided by a viewer using the remote camera, and a log of updates to the website of resources for Race Rocks.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/diary/


Geographic features of importance
The archipelago of islands is a unique geographic feature providing optimal exposure in the Strait of Juan de Fuca to diverse elements of wind and currents which lead to a highly biodiverse ecosystem. Its location provides the highest measured upwelling area of the west coast which results in deep water species occurring at a shallow depth and a large biomass of contributed larvae and planktonic species.

The geology:
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/abiotic/geology/geology.htm

and other physical factors of the area are unique as well and provide a special set of habitats to a large number of species.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/eco/ecodata.htm
It is also the most southerly point of Canada on the Pacific Coast.

Cultural features of importance

The island has a historic light station and has hosted generations of pioneering light keeper families who survived under difficult conditions. A year from now, in December 2010, the light tower marks its 150th year as a guiding beacon for those plying the waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/history/histam.htm

In recent years, our investigations on the rock mounds on the island have led them to be identified as pre-contact First Nations burial mounds from a culture that thrived in the area from 1000 to 1500 years ago, and then disappeared . In the year 2000 with the assistance of a First Nations elder, we sought the place name for Race Rocks from a another elder, the late Tom Charles , and were granted permission then to use the Klallum name Xwayen, the area of swift flowing water. Race Rocks is essentially in the geographic centre of the Salish Sea. The first peoples of that sea recognized the close relationship between the land and the sea and we have always dedicated on the home page of racerocks.com, an icon which changes with the 13 stages of he moon as recognized by that culture.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/firstnations/first.htm

Human Threats to any of the important features.
The human presence at Race Rocks is a critical component to making this endeavour a success on many levels whether it be safety ; ecological stewardship and restoration; science,  education and research; human activities monitoring. As such, adequate funding levels must be maintained to  a level that will enable these essential activities to continue. To date, Pearson College has been solely responsible for finding the necessary funds to continue operations. It is important that appropriate funding be secured to enable long term sustainability.
There has been a continuation of problematic recreational boaters who view and disturb animals and birds from too close a distance and increase the chance of boat strikes on marine mammals and diving birds. There continues to be on an intermittent basis recreational fishing in the reserve.

There is ongoing concern for boat traffic, noise and effluent that goes with it, speed reduction and viewing distance. Airline overflights continue to cause occasional disruption to the mammal and bird colonies. The implementation of the DFO regulations on Marine wildlife viewing are long overdue.http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/admin/disturbances.htm

The threat of an oil or chemical spill is always possible in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This would be heightened if there is an increase in Juan de Fuca Tanker Traffic and removal of the moratorium on offshore drilling. The disposal of wastes and bilge water from all ships and the increasing onset of Cruise lines operating in the area is a real concern.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/admin/ships.htm

The rockfish protection area should be maintained and strengthened so that threats to marine mammals are reduced and stock recovery in the area is enhanced.

Other threats to the area
The human presence at Race Rocks is a critical component to making this endeavour a success on many levels whether it be safety, security, ecological stewardship and restoration, education and scientific research, or monitoring of human activities. As such, funding levels must be maintained to a level that will enable these essential activities to be sustainable. To date, Lester Pearson College has been almost solely responsible for finding the necessary funds to continue operations. It is important that appropriate funding be secured to enable long term sustainability.

A general statement of your vision for the area
Pearson College has provided internet linkage to the resources of the island since 2000. Since it is a small area with a complex set of ecosystems, it is our hope that direct human contact remains minimal, while global access to the resources through the internet remains high.

The commitment of volunteers, faculty, staff and students of Pearson College over the last 30 years in assembling the resources of Race Rocks and then making them available on racerocks.com and racerocks.ca is evidence of how we value maintaining the ecological integrity of the reserve, and wish to continue sharing it with the world. We plan to continue to support the activities and programs currently underway; improve on them and support new activities and endeavours that will add to our understanding and continued protection of the ecosystem.

The College is committed to explore and expand its research and education opportunities available at RR and maintain a long term presence as the custodian of the Ecological Reserve. It will continue to demonstrate the use and integration of sustainable resources and renewable energy with the goal to reduce the emissions from our operations to an absolute minimum.

Since de-staffing of the station by the Coast Guard in 1997, Lester B. Pearson College has hired Ecoguardian staff to be resident on Race Rocks and has raised over $1 million for operating costs at Race Rocks in the past 12 years of operation. Pearson College will continue to employ staff as Ecoguardians and station operators year round. Currently a full time resident marine scientist holds this position.

Why is the Area important to you?

It is important because ultimately it must be possible for all who pass through this part of the Salish Sea must be informed of its unique values and must be committed to allow it to remain a relatively pristine and undisturbed ecosystem. The significant education and research value can endure if Race Rocks Marine Protected area is well supported and locally managed.
racerocks.com homepage Pearson College Website Sitemap Contact
webmaster:
Garry Fletcher
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Race Rocks Public Advisory Board Terms of Reference 2010

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Race Rocks Public Advisory Board Terms of Reference

See the final version approved by DFO

Introduction | Purpose | Objectives | Participation, Roles and Responsibilities | Participants
Process for Formulating Recommendations | Meetings | Deliverables | Timelines

1. Introduction

Section 35 (1) of the Oceans Act provides the authority for the designation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). An MPA may only be established for one or more of the following reasons. The conservation and protection of:

Commercial and non-commercial fisheries, including marine mammals and their habitats;
Endangered or threatened species and their habitats
Unique habitats;
Marine areas of high biodiversity or biological productivity;
Any other marine resource of habitat as is necessary to fulfill the mandate of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.
DFO is considering designating the Race Rocks marine area as an MPA for a number of reasons:

As a transition zone between the Pacific Ocean and coastal waters, the area is renowned for its exceptional diversity of marine life.
It is an area of high biodiversity and biological productivity.
It is important habitat for marine mammals and the area provides habitat for threatened species.
The area has cultural significance to local First Nations. There is recognition that, should a Marine Protected Area (MPA) be established, the Government of Canada as represented by DFO will work cooperatively with the First Nations in the care and management of the MPA towards a common vision for the MPA.

The Race Rocks group of islets and submerged land was designated as an Ecological Reserve in 1980 under the province of British Columbia’s legislative authority. A cooperative management relationship with the Province has been developed with Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific. DFO and BC Parks, in collaboration with First Nations, stakeholders and the public, are aiming to develop further management strategies to support conservation objectives for the area. To aid in this purpose the Race Rocks Public Advisory Board (RRPAB) has been convened with representation from a number of stakeholder groups and levels of government. Continue reading →

Thoughts on Marine Protected area and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans consultation process for Race Rocks Ecological Reserve -FER

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By Mike Fenger and Garry Fletcher ( Board members of Friends of Ecological Reserves)

Canada has a less than 1% of its marine ecosystems in Marine Protected Areas status and BC has been slower than the Maritime Provinces lagging at less than < 0.5%. Currently there are two off shore seamounts that make up the BC Marine Areas system and these have been established through Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) lead consultation processes.  Australia on the other hand is in the enviable position with 16% of their marine ecosystems in protected status.  Table 1 shows the different Federal and Provincial Departments/Ministries with a mandate to manage some elements of the marine ecosystems. This Table shows the complexity of overlapping jurisdictions.  The different purpose and jurisdictional tools

Formating for this table will be reestablished
Table 1.  Federal and Provincial Marine Protected Area Programs    (Courtesy of Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society)
_Parks Canada_Department of Fisheries and Oceans_Environment Canada_Ministry of the Environment – BC_Ministry of Agriculture and Lands – BC__Designation

National Marine Conservation Areas
Marine Protected Areas
Marine Wildlife Areas
National Wildlife Areas
Migratory Bird Sanctuaries
Provincial Parks
Provincial Ecological
Reserves
Wildlife Management
Areas
BC Marine Ecological Classification
Examples
Southern Strait of Georgia (proposed)
Gwaii Haanas (proposed)
Endeavour Hydrothermal
Vents
Bowie Seamount
Scott Islands (proposed)
Desolation Sound Marine
Park
Checleset Ecological Reserve

Legislation
National Marine Conservation Areas Act
Oceans Act
Canada Wildlife Act
Migratory Birds Convention Act
Park Act
Ecological Reserve Act
Wildlife Act

Planning tool for coastal planning, coastal management, and marine protected areas candidate identification.
Goal
Protect and conserve marine areas of significance as part of a representative network of protected areas.
Protect and conserve commercial and non-commercial fisheries resources, including endangered or threatened species, areas of high biodiversity or productivity, unique habitats, and marine mammals and their habitats.
Conservation of marine wildlife, with emphasis on marine birds, through the maintenance and restoration of supporting habitats.
Park Act:
Protect representative examples of natural diversity, and special natural, cultural heritage, and recreational features within BC.

Ecological Reserve Act:
Protect viable, representative examples of the natural diversity and exclude harvest of marine resources within the reserve.
Advance efforts to establish Marine Protected Areas.

Objectives
Representation of marine natural regions (physical, biological & cultural)
On-site interpretation
Public education & enjoyment
Sustainable use
Marine resources
Species and habitats
Endangered species/habitats
Unique habitats
Areas of high productivity
Biodiversity
Sustainable use
Wildlife/Migratory birds
Species and habitats
Endangered species/habitats
Productive, unique and sustainable habitats/ecosystems
Biodiversity conservation

Perhaps in response to a bigger unifying vision the BC Ministry of Environment has recently begun to develop an Ocean’s and Coastal Strategy which in addition to economic benefits also envisages maintaining and improving the health of marine ecosystems through ecosystem based management.  This new broader look at marine ecosystems is a welcome addition that can potentially improve the long term viability of the marine based ERs.  FER is advocating all marine-based ERs receive a buffer zone so the marine component of the ecosystem adjacent receives equivalent status whenever a marine protected area is declared.  Table 2 lists currently established ERs that protect biological features such sea bird colonies and sea mammal breeding areas.

Table 2. Existing ERs to out from for a network of Marine Protected Areas system.  Race Rocks (Bolded) is the only ER that is currently under a DFO lead process that may result in a marine protected area.
Annie Vallee (Triangle Island)
Balingall Islets
Baeria Rocks
Beresford
Brackman Island
Byers/Conroy/Harvey/Sinnett Islands Checleset Bay
Cleland Island
Canoe Islets
Dewdney and Glide Islands
East Redonda
Francis Point
Lasqueti Island
Lepas Bay Moore/McKenney/Whitmore Islands
Mount Maxwell
Mount Tuan
Robson Bight (Michael Biggs)
Pine/storm and Tree Islands (Duke of Edinburgh)
Klashkish River
Megin River
Oak Bay Islands
Race Rocks
Rose Islets
Rose Spit
Sartine
Solander
San Juan River Estuary
Satellite Channel
Ten Mile Point
Trial Island
Tashish River
Vladimir J. Krajina (Port Channel)
For locations of these ER access Existing ERs see the Ministry of Environment link for purpose statements

The Race Rocks Consultation process.  FER is one of “stakeholders” participating in the four advisory group meetings scheduled for completion by spring of 2010.  Garry Fletcher has a long involvement as the warden for this ER. I am a relative new comer to the 10 year consultation process and my input has mainly been to clarify what the Federal approach is to a system of protected areas.  Other stakeholders associations represent, sports fishing interests, scuba divers, whale watching tour operators, marina operators, for example. The details of the meetings and advisory group are available at the Race Rocks Advisory Board site maintained by Pearson College. Absent from this advisory group meetings are First Nations though there is a first nations consultant present at the meetings.  DFO is holding separate consultation with First Nations.
Race Rocks ER has a long association with Pearson College which has maintained infra structure on the island allowing this ER to function as an outdoor laboratory.  As a result of this 30 year association Race Rocks has a level of monitoring and study which is unparalleled in other ERs.  The accessibility of the research and monitoring is phenomenal and a visit to the award winning Race Rocks web site is all that is needed to illustrate the how information for Race Rocks ER is available.
As the Race Rocks ER warden Garry shared the following insights.  It has been 10 years since the final ratification of Race Rocks as a Marine Protected Area ground to a halt.  There is now a renewed urgency on the part of DFO to complete the designation process by next year.  The Oceans Act of 1997 lays out very clearly the intent to protect complete marine ecosystems with the organisms and their habitat, however the new round of advisory meetings is concerned with only the designation of the water column of the existing Rockfish Protection area ( down to 40 metres).  This does nothing to solve jurisdictional problems in managing the ecological reserve, and it does not bring together the role of Canadian Wildlife Service in the protection of Seabirds , the department of transport in the protection of the airspace above marine mammal haulouts and leaves those haulouts as well a responsibility of BC Parks for the 9 islets of the Race Rocks Archipelago.. First Nations still do have access, (as they always have from the Douglas Treaties,)  to the living resources of the area, that arrangement trumped only by proven conservation needs.
Lester Pearson College through a long term lease from BC Parks has funded the management of the reserve for the past 10 years, something that is not sustainable in the long term without assistance from government.  So far there is no firm indication that there will be any support for the support of on-site management.  So what changes?  We are beginning to wonder if the costs to establish this MPA have really been worth it.
Although  federally established MPAs on the East Coast, (example Musquash in New Brunswick) involved a transfer of the provincial seabed to the federal government, the west coast provides a different scenario. The provincial government has made it clear that they will not allow any ceding of  ownership of any seabed. (This policy is also what currently what is holding up the finalization of the Gulf Islands Marine Park as well.)
Some of the information in the article was distributed to the Advisory Group members and attached to minutes of the first meeting.  It was not clear that all advisory group members are familiar with ERs and the importance of protection of representative and unique ecosystems of British Columbia. It is also unclear whether the importance to a system of natural benchmarks, research areas, educational resources and repositories of genetic materials and geologic features recognized by participants as critical to sustainability of marine systems.

The Ecological Reserve system – in concert with other elements of British Columbia’s protected areas system and resource management regime – supports protection, study and understanding of ecosystems – their resiliency, ecological processes and natural elements.

FER expectations raised at the October Advisory Group meeting for Race Rocks were.
•    The Boundaries of a MPA need to be based on best available information and make ecological sense in the long term.
•    There will be a system of protected marine areas.
•    The location of the MPAs in addition to Race Rocks will strongly guided by conservation biology and best available science.
•    MPA will be supported in legislation with objectives for MPAs similar to provincial legislation and include:
1.    areas suitable for scientific research and educational purposes associated with studies in productivity and other aspects of the natural environment;
2.    areas that are representative examples of natural ecosystems in British Columbia;
3.    areas that serve as examples of ecosystems that have been modified by human beings and offer an opportunity to study the recovery of the natural ecosystem from modification;
4.    areas where rare or endangered native plants and animals in their natural habitat may be preserved;
5.    Areas that contain unique and rare examples of botanical, zoological or geological phenomena.
•    Entry to reserves will be through permitting.
•    There will be a commitment for effective enforcement.
•    MPA will act a research benchmarks and monitoring sites for Federal and Provincial agencies to promote sustainable use of natural resources.
•    Existing ERs and Terrestrial Protected Areas with a marine component will be reviewed as a starting point for a comprehensive network MPAs.

Additional observations
There is a no “target for a west coast or national system of MPA.  Since there is less than 0.5% in BC it is unclear what the Federal government believes is necessary to safe guard the nationally managed marine resources and what is the time frame needed to build the a credible network of MPAs?  Those managing the Race Rocks process were not able to refer to higher longer term direction.  This leads to the conclusion that there appears to be no commitment or leadership towards more than one off MPAs at this point in time.

Clarification or development of the Federal and Provincial agencies of a common vision and a coordinated coast wide process leading to a scientifically based MPA is unclear.

The willingness of stakeholders and management agencies to embrace MPAs as a safety net for resource management and sustainability is unclear and it is not widely accepted as fundamental missing piece of resource management.

The integration of FNs is another layer of complexity and close linkages of FN cultures to the marine system indisputable. Since all marine ecosystems have been traditionally accessible to exploitation this adds an additional challenge.   The willingness to forgo a previous access will depend on the clarification of benefits to the greater good over the longer term both to FN and other interests.  Since we are not privy to the MOU between DFO and FN we do not know what is being discussed.  There is not a great deal of confidence that the benefits of treating Race Rocks as no-take zone will be conveyed in this forum as it is unclear whether this even supported by DFO as part of a management tool for responsible sustainable marine ecosystem management as this has never been part of the DFO management paradigm and has no precedent in the historic DFO approach and consequently there is no research showing the benefits. Some references on the benefits have been amalgamated on the Race Rocks website.
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/eco_reserve/ecoresrv/ecoresrv.html  
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/admin/rrab/rrab.htm
https://racerocks.ca/racerock/rrab2/mpabenefit.htm

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