New Fraser River Bridge Project Marine Fisheries Access Management Plan
Hatch, Ecofish and TyPlan participated in the preparation of a Marine Fisheries Access Management Plan (MFAMP). The purpose of the MFAMP is to define the management requirements to avoid, minimize and/or mitigate potential effects of marine transportation and in-river Project activities on marine resource use and fisheries access.
In accordance with Condition 13 of the EA Certificate #T19-01, the MFAMP is intended to include, at minimum, the following information:
- Project overview with a focus on Project components and in-river activities that could interact with fisheries and other marine uses and marine use and fisheries access management objectives.
- Legislation, regulations, and associated programs applicable to marine resource use and fisheries access management.
- Description of Indigenous and stakeholder engagement to support development and implementation of the MFAMP.
- Summary of existing marine use conditions, including navigational routes, commercial shipping use, recreational and tourism use, commercial and Indigenous fisheries (including fishing for Food, Social and Ceremonial (FSC)), key harvest areas.
- Summary of potential effects on marine resource use and fisheries access.
- Supplemental hydraulic modelling, associated mitigation measures, and riverbed and foreshore monitoring.
- Mitigation measures and management strategies to address potential impacts to marine resource use and fisheries access or for members of Indigenous Groups to carry out marine-based traditional use activities including FSC fishing.
- Procedures for communicating and engaging with Indigenous Groups and stakeholders on Project construction and demolition activities.
- Reporting and Monitoring programs to evaluate and document on-going effects of the Project construction and demolition activities on marine users and the effectiveness of mitigation measures.
- Roles and responsibilities of parties involved in the development and implementation of the MFAMP.
Indigenous knowledge shared through consultation with Indigenous Groups has and will continue to inform the development of this plan, and ongoing consultation with Indigenous Groups as outlined herewith will further integrate Indigenous knowledge to inform the MFAMP and supporting marine and fisheries-related access documentation.
Examples of supporting marine-oriented plans include the Marine Construction Staging Plan (MCSP) and the Marine Communication Plan (MCP) both of which should be read in conjunction with the MFAMG. Upon Project construction, existing marine user groups, which consist of both a Mariner Users Working Group (MUWG) and an Indigenous Marine Users Working Group (IMUWG), represent the ongoing communication forums upon which issues and Indigenous knowledge will be integrated with Project construction activities.