Collaborative Restoration of Boundary Bay for Traditional Shellfish Harvest: Shared Waters Alliance

Shared Waters Alliance is an international working group focused on the water quality of the Canadian-US shared waters of Boundary Bay. Boundary Bay is a critical section of BC's rare coastline habitat and is recognized locally, nationally and internationally. Shared Waters was formed in 1999 and is made up of representatives from government, First Nations and community groups from both countries. A primary driver for the formation of this working group was the shellfish harvesting closure on the Canadian side of the border due to bacteriological contamination. Indigenous peoples (including Semiahmoo First Nation) traditionally harvested the abundant fish and shellfish resources for their livelihood. Boundary Bay oysters accounted for 50% of the total provincial oyster production from 1940 -1963, until water contamination forced the closure of commercial, recreational and First Nations harvest. Shared Waters Alliance collaborates on environmental projects that can inform and improve the status of water quality in the Boundary Bay Basin. Current priority actions are focused on the Little Campbell (Tatalu) River watershed as it has been identified as the most significant contributor of fecal coliform contamination to Semiahmoo Bay, and the traditional shellfish harvest location for Semiahmoo First Nation. Current Objectives: ? Pool knowledge ? Establish a shared vision and priorities for restoring water quality in the Little Campbell and Semiahmoo Bay ? Establish a Semiahmoo Nation led shellfish harvest monitoring system ? Undertake collaborative watershed planning to the extent feasible to address land based source of pollution ? Support Shared Waters participants taking on the ground actions to address water quality