Fraser River sockeye salmon: data synthesis and cumulative impacts

Method: The approach included formulating information requests, categorizing expenditures byprogram and activity, assessing changes and trends over time and writing up the results.3. Assess DFO ability to carry out applied management and science/researchThis project sought to determine DFO’s ability to carry out applied sockeye science/research,given the financial and human resources allocated to the task. It is a forward-looking assessment,whereas the previous two were retrospective.Method: The intended approach included formulating information requests (there was very littleinformation on human resources) then defining the programs and activities required to manageFraser sockeye, what resources were needed to do this well and to compare this to what DFOwas actually doing (gold standard approach). But it was decided that with the data available, itwas more realistic to take a “marginal” approach focused on identifying shortfalls or gaps andareas where programs and resources could or should be adjusted.Information requirements included human resources, salaries, Fraser sockeye science/researchactivities and budgets.Preliminary graphs were presented summarizing total annual Fraser sockeye expenditures from2005 to 2009 by organization and by activity (managements science, habitat, enhancement andadministration).Preliminary results were presented for several of the performance indicators, including actualescapement relative to the final in-season target for the four run-timing groups, a comparison ofUS target vs. actual harvest share, total science spending as a percentage of total spending for theRegion (some decline in recent years), Fraser sockeye science as a percentage of total scienceexpenditures, and total expenditures on Fraser sockeye as a percentage of total Regionexpenditure.Information gaps include gaps in evaluation data (e.g. post-season spawning escapementtargets); expenditures prior to 2005 and very little information available in electronic format orupdated databases.Key research/ monitoring needs: If evaluation is valuable, a good evaluation framework isrequired that covers criteria, indicators and what data need to be collected to inform evaluation.A single, regularly-updated evaluation database is needed.DiscussionMcKinnell: Did you consider looking at the number of primary publications by DFO authors?You will likely find that the amount of science done as a proportion of the actual work theydo has been shrinking over time. It would be useful to see a graph on the number ofpublished articles on Fraser sockeye where DFO scientists were the senior authors.Peterman: One of our recommendations was that all agencies, including DFO, the PSC, Alaska,and Washington State, need to get all their data together in one database, standardized (e.g.column headings). There were many errors in the data and because there are large-scaleprocesses involved, we need to get the information in cross-jurisdictional databases.Blewett: These questions require ongoing evaluation, not one-off studies.39