Haida Gwaii Abalone Stewardship Project
The northern abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana) is a rock-clinging, marine snail that is found in patches along exposed and semi-exposed coasts inBritish Columbia. This species has been an important traditional food source for First Nations and the target of both recreational and commercial fisheries. The abalone fisheries in British Columbia have been closed to all user groups since December 1990 due to concern over declining stocks. Despite the implementation of management measures, northern abalone populations in the province have continued to decline.
First Nations people are essential to the development and execution of the northern abalone rebuilding strategy. Their traditional key role as stewards of the resource is being supported through four projects, one of which is the Haida Gwaii Abalone Stewardship Project, begun in 2000 under the leadership of the Haida Fisheries Program. In the first year of HSP funding (2000-2001), the Stewardship Project focused primarily on community outreach and awareness aimed at stopping the illegal harvest, an ongoing threat to abalone recovery. With assistance from the Stewardship Project, Spruceroots, a local monthly publication, published 14 pages of information and personal perspectives on the northern abalone prior to community workshops. In addition, two fact sheets, providing a condensed history of the northern abalone with sections on Haida tradition, the commercial fishery, and abalone ecology and biology, were produced and distributed.
The stewardship group has also developed a school curriculum. The unit includes a kit containing a variety of activities and tools designed for students in grades four to seven. The plan is to deliver the curriculum to all schools on-island. (NB.FYI This has already started but I'm assuming the report doesn't include 2003.)
Because young abalone are cryptic-hiding in rocky crevices to avoid predators-they are difficult to observe and count. As part of recovery efforts, "condos" have been built to attract young abalone by mimicking their natural hiding places. These condos provide an ideal sampling unit for the study of young abalone and for monitoring the success of rebuilding efforts. Through this project, 32 abalone condos have been installed at eight sites, and juvenile abalone have been observed at each of six sites that were inspected. A further concern for abalone recovery is that adults are too dispersed for successful reproduction. To improve their reproductive success, mature abalone have been artificially grouped together near the condos.
The Haida Gwaii Abalone Stewardship Project has also partnered with the local community and, through a series of public meetings and presentations, completed a community action plan for northern abalone. This plan is to be endorsed by the Council of the Haida Nation and other community partners and will be used to guide future actions directed toward the recovery of northern abalone.
As part of the community action plan, the Haida Gwaii abalone stewards have established contacts to initiate and promote the development of a "coastwatch" program. The main objective of this program is to enforce abalone fishery closures through higher fines and stiffer penalties for poachers, greater empowerment of Haida fishery guardians, and increased surveillance with the help of tour operators, the boating public, and commercial dive fisheries. Thus far, relationships have been established with Fisheries and Oceans Canada conservation officers, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Parks Canada. Five overflights have been undertaken, as has continuous on-the-water surveillance in coordination with scheduled Haida Fisheries Program activities.
The Haida Gwaii Abalone Stewardship Program provides the community with strong support in the recovery of this species at risk. Empowering the local community to help conserve and protect northern abalone through increased knowledge and recovery efforts is yielding benefits that will continue for years to come.
