Name This Spot!

Right on the heels of congratulating our most recent winner in my last post, I think we should have everyone try and figure out the location of this next image.
This is a spot within the Pncima region and any mariners with local knowledge of the Inside Passage would know this spot.

If you would like to try your best guess, you can email me at:
vsampson@livingoceans.org or leave a comment in the comments section.
Winners will be announced on the next Name This Spot! post.

Good luck and thanks for checking out Coastal Voices.

Name This Spot! 4

Hey folks; we have another winner in our Name This Spot! contest!

Our most recent winner is Charlotte, who correctly identified the Wannock River in the October 13 - Name This Spot! 3 posting.
Ok, time for some disclosure here. I've known Charlotte since she was about 4 years old and I know she lives about 2o some odd miles from the Wannock River - so she should recognize the place!
Your prize will be arriving in a post office near you soon, Charlotte!

For those of you who don't know, the 6 km long Wannock River flows out of Owikeno Lake into the head of Rivers Inlet in the Central Coast, within the Pncima region.


The area has been and still is home to the Wuikinuxv Nation. There are approximately 70 Wuikinuxv people living in their village along the banks of the Wannock. This river and Owikeno Lake have provided food, refuge and home for the Wuikinuxv for thousands of years. The Wannock River and it's keystone salmon species are still relatively rich in biodiversity despite over a century of industrial activity in the area. In recent years, in order to enhance declining salmon stocks, the Wuikinuxv Fisheries Program along with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Rivers Inlet North Coast Salmon Enhancement Association have been been working with Snootli Hatchery in Bella Coola to enhance chinook and, on a smaller scale, sockeye from the Wannock River. There is also an ongoing eco-system study funded in part by the Tula Foundation whereby a research team headed by Dr. Rick Routledge of Simon Fraser University along with with local participation is undertaking research to better understand the early life stages of Rivers Inlet sockeye as they migrate out of their freshwater environment into the ocean.

Some of the west coast's largest chinook salmon, prized by sportfishers from around the world, spawn in the Wannock as well as sockeye, coho and chum.
All of the Owikeno Lake sockeye and other species of salmon have to transit the Wannock in order to get to their natal streams as far as 50 km up the lake.

Thank you, Charlotte and all the others who read Coastal Voices.

Name this Spot! 3

Well, loyal readers, it has been a month or two but, back by popular demand is our - "Name This Spot" contest.
The winner of our last one was Ralph, who correctly identified, Koeye River as the subject of an aerial photo. Ralph, your prize will be mailed to you shortly.
Koeye River flows in a westerly direction emptying into Fitzhugh Sound in the Central Coast at about 52 degrees 46.5 minutes North by 127 degrees 52.8 minutes West.
The Koeye (Kway) River Valley, one of the few remaining intact coastal river valley ecosystems, is home to all species of salmon and is prime grizzly bear and wolf habitat.
The Heiltsuk First Nation has a summer camp geared up to celebrate and experience Heiltsuk history and cultural activities for their youth.
Their Koeye Lodge also provides bear watching and bird watching opportunities for paying guests who wish to experience a unique wilderness retreat.



If you can name the spot in the photo above please send an email to: vsampson@livingoceans.org

A modest prize will be awarded to the knowledgable winner and we would love to hear any stories about the area depicted in the photo if you would care to share them.

Hint: Within the PNCIMA region - north of Cape Caution but south of Portland Canal and home to some of the largest chinook on this coast.

Stay tuned, the winner will be announced in about a week and a new spot will be posted.
Good luck!

Name This Spot! 2

Here is another scenic spot I have explored from time to time on my travels up and down the B.C. coast.
Just to be difficult I won't give out any clues this time. Sorry...
So if you feel you know where this special place is you can post your answer in the comments section on this blog.
You can also post any points of interest about this bit of coastal geography you might wish to share with our readers.

The winner will receive a copy of Living Oceans Society's, Fish for Thought, cookbook. If you like seafood and are interested in some information on your "catch of the day' then you will definitely want this book on your kitchen or galley shelf!
Oh, and one more thing; if you don't want to miss out on some interesting and occasionally entertaining articles you might want to subscribe to the Coastal Voices blog.

Coastal Voices E Newsletter

Click here to read our Summer 2009 edition of Coastal Voices!

Name This Spot!

I thought I might try something new for this blog; a contest!
I want to know if any of our blog fans can name this spot.

The only clues I can give you is that it is in the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area and north of Cape Caution.

You don't know about PNCIMA?
You can find out more here and here.

You can send in your answer to; vsampson@livingoceans.org

In my next posting I will post another "Name This Spot," as well as the answer to this one and send the winner one of our coveted PNCIMA "Floats My Boat" ball cap!

Good luck!

Day 6 - The Vision

These videos just get better and better. In this video, Jennifer talks a little bit about PNCIMA and the vision of Integrated Management for BC's coast.

WWF Releases Results of a Planning Participation Study

Last week, the World Wildlife Fund released the results from a marine planning / community preparedness survey it took last summer and fall in the North Coast communities of Prince Rupert, Terrace, Haida Gwaii and Kitimat. While this survey was not taken in our Northern Vancouver Island communities, the questions that were asked in the survey are very relevant to our experience on the coast as well. The survey results showed that people on the coast usually have very direct linkages to the ocean environment:
"Nearly half of all respondents (48 per cent) said they depend on the marine environment for work while 53 per cent indicated that the ocean is a significant source of food and 65 per cent indicated that it is an important recreation resource. A further 58 per cent said that the marine environment plays a vital role in their cultural traditions and even more so (67 per cent) in family traditions." 1

Another interesting finding from this research is that while 65% of the respondents indicated that they have been involved in a marine planning or consultation processes in the past, only a quarter of them agreed that this involvement had been a positive experience.

While Mike Ambach of WWF in Prince Rupert says that this survey was not specifically designed to fit in with PNCIMA, I do hope that WWF will be able to find some synergy between the two. Most of the concerns brought up by coastal residents in this survey, such as declining fish stocks, climate change, and poor fisheries management could be addressed with an inclusive PNCIMA process.

Have you taken part in marine planning consultations before? Was it a positive experience? What are your suggestions for Fisheries and Oceans Canada as it begins the PNCIMA consultation and planning process?

PNCIMA - One step closer to integrated management?

Last Thursday and Friday, individuals representing many communities along the British Columbia coast came together in Richmond for the first-ever Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area or PNCIMA forum. At this forum were representatives from Federal, Provincial, Municipal, and First Nations government. Also present were representatives from many other interests: including commercial and recreational fisheries, academia, renewable and nonrenewable energy, environmental organizations, transportation, and aquaculture.

Over the two days, we heard informative presentations and had many discussions about what integrated marine planning on our coast should entail. While there were limited opportunities for the public to be heard during the plenary sessions, I hope that the two small group break-out sessions allowed everyone the ability to ask questions, give comments, and provide feedback about the future direction of PNCIMA. There certainly was not consensus about the best way to move forward with PNCIMA, but no one in attendance seemed to debate the fact that integrated planning on our coast is necessary and overdue.
This first PNCIMA forum has certainly sparked a dialogue about marine planning on our coast; and I hope that planning for PNCIMA continues to gain momentum as time goes on. Personally, I would like to see the PNCIMA steering committee out in the communities in the upcoming weeks and months, disseminating the knowledge gained at the Forum and collaboratively charting the way forward with concrete action items and deliverables.

Did you participate in the PNCIMA Forum last week (either in person or via webcast)? What were your overall impressions? How do plan to be engaged in the management of our coast in the future?

Coastal Fling

Check out this new game about Pncma: http://www.coastalfling.com/
See how many people you can get back to their homes in Pncima and then register your score. The top score at the end of March will win a collector Pncima - Floats my Boat ball cap.

This game is fun (and addicting), but I'm rubbish at this sort of thing so sadly, I will be no competition for the ball cap! After you play, have a look at this new website - http://www.pncimamatters.ca/

And if you haven't been following my past postings, the first Pncima Forum is March 26 and 27th of this year. You have to register at pncima.org. There is no registration fee to attend the Forum. However, you must pre-register by March 15, 2009.

Have fun!

Healthy Oceans

PNCIMA Dates!

For those of you who have an interest or a stake in how the government plans the use of our local marine resources, you might be interested in attending the PNCIMA Forum in Richmond, on March 26 and 27th. There is funding available for stakeholders from the North Island to attend, if you apply for the funding before March 9.

On Thursday, March 5 from 6:15 - 9:00 pm the Department of Fisheries and Oceans will be holding a community meeting in Port Hardy, at Malone's Oceanside Bistro. The purpose of this meeting is to:

• Give the community an overview of the PNCIMA initiative
• Offer an opportunity for input on engagement, values and issues specific to the PNCIMA initiative
• Inform the community about the PNCIMA forum to be held in Richmond on March 26 and 27

Anyone from the community is welcome at both the March 5 event and the March 26-27 event. Hopefully I'll see you there!