Lower Johnstone Strait and Discovery Islands Juvenile Salmon Survey Vessel Charter

The Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), will be chartering a fishing vessel to sample juvenile sockeye salmon and other Pacific salmon in the Discovery Islands and Strait of Georgia, British Columbia.

Vessels must be certified by Transport Canada to conduct research work. In addition to the Certification provided by Transport Canada Marine Safety, an inspection by Canadian Coast Guard officers will be conducted prior to the vessel commencing the Survey Charter.

Introduction The Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, will require a purse seine vessel 2 days per week for 8-10 weeks to collect juvenile sockeye salmon and other Pacific salmon from the Discovery Islands and southern Johnstone Strait (Figure 1A). This work will take place between May 10 and July 19, 2015. Total days are dependent on funding. Operations will begin and end in Campbell River, Browns Bay or Kelsey Bay, British Columbia.

Contracting Period The Contract dates are as follows: May 1, 2015 through to April 30, 2016, with options to renew for 2 additional 1 year periods at the sole discretion of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).

Option periods if exercised will be May 1, 2016 through to April 30, 2017, May 1, 2017 through to April 30, 2018.

The Project work will take place between approximately May 10 and July 15 of each year. Exact dates will be determined by the DFO Project Authority.

Scope of Work The early summer juvenile salmon survey will examine the distribution, stock composition (from DNA analyses), migration, food web interaction, lipid utilization, and growth of juvenile salmon in the Strait of Georgia and Discovery Islands. Oceanographic samples (zooplankton and CTD (conductivity, temperature and depth recording device) casts) will also be collected during this survey. The focus of the work is to sample juvenile sockeye salmon from the Fraser River during their migration from the Strait of Georgia through the Discovery Islands to determine the timing and relative abundance of juveniles in this region over their early marine period. The utilization of the Discovery Islands and lower Johnstone Strait by other juvenile salmon species will also be examined.

In addition to the sampling listed above, additional sampling to assess the physiological-basis for regional variation in juvenile salmon growth and examine pathogens in juvenile salmon will be conducted. This will involve the collection of blood samples to measure the concentration of growth hormones in blood plasma, and the collection of a series of tissues to examine gene expression. These projects will require a dedicated sampling area in addition to the space normally required by DFO to collect basic biological and oceanographic data.

The department is looking for a commercial seine vessel and a skipper with a history of fishing in these regions. The reason being is these regions are subject to high tidal flows and extreme currents. This limits the window of opportunity for fishing in any given day. Knowledge of these waters and areas allows optimization of fishing in any given day and reduces risk associated with purse seining in waters subject to high tidal flows.