COASTAL NEWS
THE WEST COAST VANCOUVER ISLAND
AQUATIC MANAGEMENT BOARD
A concern I have raised at the last two meetings of the Coastal Parliamentarians is the continuation of funding
for the West Coast Vancouver Island Aquatic Management Board. The Board (or AMB) was established under the federal Oceans Act
to develop a strategy for the integrated management of aquatic ecosystems on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Created as a
three-year pilot project by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, the Board’s original funding ran out on March 31, 2005.
At the Coastal Parliamentarians meeting on March 12, 2005, I relayed concerns of the Board and its partners that the Department
of Fisheries and Oceans would not renew its funding. Without that core funding, the AMB would have to close its doors.
The AMB is recognized as an innovative governance model for ocean management, and has implemented a number of successful projects
including: the Somass River Estuary Management Plan; a shellfish water quality report; the clean up of Ucluelet Harbour; and
the monitoring of sea lice. It has helped to develop an experimental gooseneck barnacle fishery that produced $200,000 in landed
value in the region during its first year. In total, it has contributed approximately $2 million in direct economic activity
and created more than 90 new full-time, part-time, and temporary jobs in the region.
At the 2006 Conference of Coastal Communities, BC’s Coastal Parliamentarians pledged their support for the AMB, and contacted
the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Loyola Hearn, urging him to recognize the progress made by the AMB and grant sustained
funding to the Board. Their letter to the Minister also recommended that AMB be included as a core part of Fisheries and Oceans
Canada’s oceans planning process.
For more information about the West Vancouver Island Aquatic Management Board please see www.westcoastaquatic.ca.
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