VANCOUVER, BC, June 20,
2024 /CNW/ - Healthy fish stocks and prosperous
fisheries rely on healthy and resilient ecosystems. Climate change,
habitat degradation and other environmental challenges are putting
stocks and ecosystems at risk. Innovative and collaborative
approaches, founded in science, are crucial to ensuring that future
generations can enjoy the significant economic, cultural and
environmental benefits that Pacific salmon provide.
Today, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast
Guard, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, B.C. Parliamentary
Secretary for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Kelly Greene and B.C. Parliamentary Secretary
for Watershed Restoration, Fin Donnelly on behalf of the B.C.
Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, the Honourable
Nathan Cullen, announced $39.4M for
15 projects receiving funding under the second phase of the British
Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund
(BCSRIF).
Of the 15 projects announced today, five directly address the
effects of climate change events such as droughts, flooding and
wildfires on Pacific salmon. These include:
- The Investment Agriculture Foundation British Columbia will
receive $3M to work with Indigenous
partners on a watershed-to-watershed basis, identifying climate
change adaptation and mitigation goals
- The University of Northern British
Columbia's Department of Geography, Earth and Environmental
Sciences, will receive $5M to
research the effects of climate change on salmon ecosystems and,
with collaborators at Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and Upper
Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance, to improve hatchery
infrastructure for Chinook salmon enhancement and conservation
- The Pacific Salmon Foundation received $3.98M to help communities monitor climate change
in salmon freshwater habitats and enable local and broad-scale
planning for climate resilient salmon ecosystems
- Nanwakolas Council Society will receive $2.86M for the Nanwakolas 50 Watersheds Project,
an Indigenous-led science partnership and research project to
better understand, and develop tools to address, the threats posed
by climate change and forest management on salmon populations and
their habitat
Other projects support habitat restoration, improvements to
hatchery operations and sustainable sablefish aquaculture. The 15
projects announced today are vital in bolstering ecosystems and
ensuring the long-term resilience of Pacific salmon, other fish
species, and a robust seafood sector.
Quotes
"Our government is proud to invest in programs that protect BC's
salmon populations and the fisheries they support. The projects
announced today represent concrete actions that will make salmon
habitat more resilient in the face of climate change, so that we
can ensure sustainable fisheries for our children, grandchildren
and great-grandchildren. Once again, the BCSRIF is showing how
innovative techniques and partnerships make all the difference in
safeguarding the future of wild fish stocks."
The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries,
Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
"British Columbia and
Canada are taking unprecedented
action to restore critical habitat for wild Pacific salmon and
support the long-term economic and environmental sustainability of
our fisheries. Research on the effects of climate change on salmon
ecosystems, improvements to hatchery operations, and other amazing
projects will be funded from this new round of investments from
BCSRIF. Saving wild salmon means sustaining our environment and our
communities."
The Honourable Nathan Cullen, Minister of Water, Land and
Resource Stewardship and Minister Responsible for
Fisheries
Quick facts
- Launched in March 2019, BCSRIF
has made investments in support of habitat protection and
restoration, ensuring the fish and seafood sector in British Columbia is positioned for long-term
environmental and economic sustainability.
- The projects announced today are jointly funded through
Canada's Pacific Salmon Strategy
Initiative (PSSI) and the Province of BC.
- These contributions support recipients selected through
BCSRIF's second application intake in carrying out important
conservation projects that restore salmon ecosystems while
providing sustainable, resilient and prosperous fisheries.
- Since inception in 2019, 170 projects have received BCSRIF
funding, representing an investment of more than $257 million in
the rebuilding of wild Pacific salmon stocks and supporting the BC
fish and seafood sector.
- BCSRIF funding was open to applications from Indigenous
communities, commercial organizations in the wild fisheries and
aquaculture sectors, recreational fisheries, as well as
non-commercial organizations such as universities and research
institutions, industry associations, and conservation groups.
- BCSRIF is a 70 per cent federal, 30 per cent provincial
cost-shared program.
- Budget 2021 committed an additional $100
million in new federal funding to expand the BCSRIF program,
as a key component of the PSSI, bringing Canada's total contribution to $200 million over seven years. With the
Government of British Columbia's
mandate commitment to double its investment, the Province is
providing $85.7 million over seven
years.
- The Government of Canada's
Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative is the largest-ever government
investment in efforts to save Pacific salmon. Through this
investment, Canada will undertake
a strategic and coordinated long-term response, rooted in
collaborative action, to stabilize and restore Pacific salmon for
the ecosystems, people, and communities that depend upon their
sustainability.
Related products
- Backgrounder: Government of Canada and Province of British Columbia support 15 climate
resiliency, healthy ecosystems and sustainable fisheries
[SEE BELOW]
Associated links
- British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund
- BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund projects
- Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative
- British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund annual
results summary 2021 to 2022
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Backgrounder
Government of Canada and Province of British Columbia support
15 fisheries, habitat, seafood innovation and aquaculture
projects
The following 15 projects are receiving funding under the
second phase of the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and
Innovation Fund (BCSRIF).
Project Recipient
|
Project Description
|
Project Cost
|
Okanagan Nation
Alliance
|
The Bringing the Salmon
Home Initiative is founded upon a historic Agreement and guided by
Indigenous-led governance involving five governments. This project
proposes work across 3 workstreams including salmon ecosystem
rebuilding, salmon habitats and connectivity, and knowledge
synthesis and integration.
|
$5,273,138
|
Great Bear Initiative
Society
|
The second phase of
Great Bear Initiative Society will focus on providing on-site
technical support, developing site-specific operating manuals, and
sharing best practices for operating and managing the newly
upgraded hatcheries, with opportunities for participating First
Nations to refresh and build fish health technical
skills.
|
$1,699,812
|
Ka:'yu:'k't'h'/Che:k'tles7et'h' First
Nation
|
A 3-year study of
Chinook salmon in the Kaouk and Artlish Rivers.
|
$976,813
|
Halalt First
Nation
|
Continuation of
process-based restoration work in high-valued tributaries of the
Chemainus and Koksilah watersheds, including the addition of a
Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tagging component
|
$1,217,814
|
Investment Agriculture
Foundation British Columbia
|
This multi-year
initiative addresses the threat of riparian habitat degradation
through improved agricultural practices that benefit salmon
ecosystems and multiple Species at Risk. FLA operates on a
watershed-to-watershed basis, identifying and assessing restoration
opportunities within riparian areas adjacent to salmon bearing
streams and rivers, that run through farming areas.
|
$3,000,000
|
Ducks Unlimited
Canada
|
Ducks Unlimited Canada
(DUC) will build on the successes of their ongoing work by
expanding the Fraser River Estuary Salmon Habitat (FRESH)
Restoration project to include new research and monitoring
activities to improve the ability of future salmon habitat
restoration efforts. Results will be shared with government and NGO
restoration practitioners.
|
$5,000,000
|
University of Northern
British Columbia
|
This project will focus
on understanding the effects of climate change on salmon ecosystems
and the direct effects of increasing water temperatures and
wildfire-contaminated spawning habitat on interior Pacific salmon
early life stages. Improvements to hatchery infrastructure will aid
Chinook enhancement and conservation efforts with collaborators at
DFO and Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance.
|
$5,000,000
|
Nanwakolas Council
Society
|
The Nanwakolas 50
Watersheds Project is an Indigenous-led science partnership and
research project to understand, and develop tools to address, the
threats posed by climate change and forest management on salmon
populations and their habitat. The project will comprise 3
collaborative science research areas: climate-salmon research,
forestry-salmon research, and environmental DNA-salmon
research.
|
$2,875,000
|
Pacific Salmon
Foundation
|
This PSF project will
assist communities strive to adjust fisheries management to deal
with climate change uncertainties by monitoring climate change in
salmon freshwater habitats. This project will enable both local and
broad scale planning for climate resilient salmon
ecosystems.
|
$3,997,861
|
University of Victoria,
Department of Biology
|
The University of
Victoria, Biology Department, will work with First Nation and
industry partners to identify sablefish resistant to a pathogen
that limits the large-scale expansion of sablefish aquaculture in
coastal communities.
|
$378,070
|
Canadian Wildlife
Federation
|
The goal of the
Restoring Freshwater Connectivity for Pacific Salmon project by the
Canadian Wildlife Federation is to develop up to 7 indigenous-led
watershed connectivity remediation plans in Pacific salmon habitat.
Some target areas for watershed plans include the Bowron River and
Quesnel River watersheds.
|
$2,288,035
|
SeaChange Marine
Conservation Society
|
Phase 2 of The
Resilient Estuaries in the Salish Sea will build upon research
completed in partnership with the Pacific Salmon Foundation and
will provide baseline assessments of critical salmonid habitats in
the highly resilient estuaries identified during that
work.
|
$1,160,085
|
Salmon Coast Field
Station Society
|
This project contains 4
components across watersheds in Musgamagw Dzawada'enuxw territory
that provide proximate empirical data on the environmental
conditions of salmon habitats, salmon stress, growth, and immune
responses to their stream environments, as well as population level
relationships from salmon and forestry timeseries.
|
$1,519,522
|
Coastal Restoration
Society
|
Partnering with
Vancouver Island First Nations to remove European Green Crab and
understand their impact on important salmon habitat.
|
$1,994,100
|
Secretariat of the
Haida Nation
|
The European Green Crab
on Haida Gwaii Working Group will continue to mitigate impacts of
European Green Crab invasion through intensive monitoring,
research, and response methods to understand, assess, develop, and
implement management measures.
|
$3,016,571
|
SOURCE Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region