Nooksack dace (Rhinichthys cataractae) recovery strategy: appendix 1

Appendix 1 - Record of cooperation and consultation

Nooksack dace are listed on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA), and as an aquatic species are under federal jurisdiction and managed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO): 200 - 401 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC.

To assist in the development of an initial draft of this Recovery Strategy, as well as those for other listed freshwater fishes in British Columbia, DFO in cooperation with the Province of BC assembled a group of experts from various levels of government, academia, consultants, and non-governmental organizations to form the Pacific Region Non-Game Freshwater Fish Recovery Team. This team, co-chaired by DFO and the Province of BC, is responsible for drafting recovery strategies for Pacific Region freshwater fish species listed under SARA, including Nooksack dace. In addition, local stakeholders have subsequently established a Recovery Implementation Group for Nooksack dace which has contacted landowners and held public information meetings on the recovery of the species.

Consultation on the draft Recovery Strategy was provided through a series of multi-stakeholder Community Dialogue Sessions and First Nations information exchanges in BC communities, as part of DFO Pacific Region’s Fall Consultation Program. A consultation weblink was sent to 198 First Nations, Tribal Councils and Aboriginal Fisheries Commissions, as well as other stakeholders. Notices announcing the Community Dialogue Sessions were placed in 74 newspapers, and announcements specific to Nooksack dace were placed in an additional six newspapers. A specific presentation and discussion session on the proposed Recovery Strategy for Nooksack dace was held in Abbotsford in November 2005, with four attendees. Comments from the session were recorded and archived.

Additional input on the draft Recovery Strategy was sought through a discussion guide and feedback form available on the internet (October – December 2005). No responses were received. Input from the Province of BC and the Township of Langley was received through recovery team participation.  An external peer review was requested from several outside experts but no reviews were provided. All feedback received was considered in the finalization of the Recovery Strategy.

An assessment of potential critical habitat for Nooksack Dace was reviewed by the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat Consultation (DFO 2007) in October, 2007. Consultations on critical habitat were undertaken in February, 2008 and included letters to First Nations, landowners, and other interested parties followed by presentations and discussion sessions with local First Nations, the municipalities of Abbotsford, Langley, Burnaby and New Westminster, and the Province of BC. Public meetings, including presentations and discussions were held in Burnaby, Langley and Abbotsford. Meetings with regional agriculture committees also occurred.

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