Government of Canada and Province of BC announce investments in wild salmon conservation and habitat

[wildmanyeah]

Government of Canada and Province of BC announce investments in wild salmon conservation and habitat restoration projects in Vancouver

https://www.canada.ca/en/fisheries-...abitat-restoration-projects-in-vancouver.html

News release
August 22, 2019

Vancouver, BC – Healthy wild fish stocks are vital to the economic prosperity and social fabric of British Columbia’s coastal communities, and are fundamental to the culture of many Indigenous communities.

The focus on restoration is part of a broader approach to addressing declines in salmon stocks that include, restoring lost protections for fish and fish habitat in the modernized Fisheries Act, science based fisheries management measures, reviewing concerns regarding predation, and implementing a plan to fight climate change.

Today, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson announced five new Vancouver-based projects under the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF), amounting to an investment of almost $2.7M. These projects are led by:

• The University of British Columbia, which will lead a science partnership project to conduct research on improving the sustainability of capture and release marine recreational Pacific salmon fisheries using new tools and technology.
• The International Year of the Salmon partners, including the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission and the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization. They will conduct pan-Pacific vessel surveys in the winter and summer of 2021 to monitor distribution, abundance, and productivity of salmon to directly inform fisheries management decision and enforcement efforts. This project will provide insight into how climate variability influences the distribution, migration, growth, and fitness of Pacific salmon.
• The Canadian Groundfish Research and Conservation Society, in partnership with Vericatch Solutions Inc., which will develop an electronic application for fishing vessels that utilizes at-sea monitoring data from commercial groundfish vessels. These applications will work in real time to create heat maps showing where marine species of concern (such as chinook salmon) are being encountered to minimize bycatch.
• The Nature Trust of BC will undertake monitoring and research to assess estuary resilience to sea level rise and other climate impacts across the coast of BC. They will be using the Marsh Resiliency to Sea Level Rise (MARS) tool, followed by restoration projects to restore core natural estuarine processes. The Nature Trust of BC will partner with various local First Nations groups, environmental organizations and academic institutions.
• The Sport Fishing Institute (SFI) will further develop the Fishing BC mobile app, an online information and catch monitoring tool.

Projects funded under BCSRIF will advance work to restore and enhance salmon habitat to support British Columbia’s fish and seafood sector, and help secure the sustainability of wild Pacific salmon, as well as other wild fish stocks. Over the next five years, investments through the BCSRIF will help ensure British Columbia’s wild fisheries are environmentally and economically sustainable for the long-term, and that middle-class jobs in the fishery are resilient to the challenges of climate change, as well as evolving economic conditions.

BCSRIF funding is open to Indigenous communities, industry associations, environmental non-governmental organizations and academic institutions. Each application is reviewed and approved by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Province of British Columbia. Investments through this program will benefit commercial and recreational fishing and aquaculture, as well as science and research initiatives.

Minister Wilkinson also took the opportunity to announce DFO’s first ever scientific report called the State of Pacific Salmon. This report, which was the product of DFO scientists, examines the impacts climate change is having on wild Pacific salmon. The report finds that the Northeast Pacific Ocean warming trends and marine heatwaves like “The Blob” are affecting ocean food webs. British Columbia and Yukon air and water temperatures are warming and precipitation patterns are changing which is altering freshwater habitats that the salmon migrate through. These marine and freshwater ecosystem changes are impacting Pacific salmon at every stage of their life-cycle. The report is now and available to Canadians.

Quotes
“Our government understands the need to protect and restore salmon habitats as a key part of our plan to sustain and restore wild salmon populations. Through the investments being made under the British Columbia Salmon Restauration and Innovation Fund, we are taking decisive action in improving conditions and habitat in waterways across the province. Working in partnership with the Province of British Columbia, I am confident that we can and are making substantive progress in protecting and enhancing our wild fish stocks and in strengthening our fishing industry for today, and for the generations ahead.”

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

“There is still a lot of mystery around the lives of wild salmon in the open ocean, which is why research and gaining knowledge are key elements in our efforts to help their populations grow. By understanding more about their travel patterns in the ocean, and learning what we can do to support them in the estuaries they return to, we’re taking steps to promote long-term and sustainable salmon runs in B.C., and the cultural, ecological and economic benefits that they bring to our communities.”

The Honourable Lana Popham, BC Minister of Agriculture


Quick facts

• Additional information on the 23 initial projects selected for BCSRIF can be found online here.
  
  
• The British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund is a 70 per cent federal, 30 per cent provincial cost-shared program.
  
  
• The Government of Canada is investing $100 million over five years for the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund, and is providing a one-time investment of $5 million for the Pacific Salmon Endowment Fund.
  
  
• The Government of British Columbia is investing $42.85 million over five years and has provided a one-time grant of $5 million for the Pacific Salmon Foundation.
  
  
• 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, can apply.
  
  
• The first intake of proposals for the fund, which launched in May 2019, produced a total of 192 applications.
  
  
• Salmon are a part of intricate food webs in both their freshwater and marine environments, affecting everything from tiny zooplankton, to large mammals like whales and bears, to birds of prey.
  
  
• Wild salmon are culturally important for many First Nations in British Columbia. Wild salmon is also part of the province’s long-running tradition of recreational and sport fishing, which is directly connected to its tourism industry.
  
  
• Commercial fishing plays a large role in the province’s economy, and it is crucial that we support sustainability in this important industry that creates so many jobs for British Columbia’s coastal communities.
  
  
• Over this summer, government officials will be working with applicants to further discuss their submissions, and to explore potential options to strengthen collaboration, and increase the scope and scale of their projects. Some applicants may be invited to submit a full proposal, while others will be encouraged to submit a new, re-scoped application during the next round of intake.
  
  
• Further opportunities to apply for funding will be provided in fall of 2019. Details and exact dates will be made available at a later date.
  

 

[wildmanyeah]

Looks like its just old news re released???

 

[wildmanyeah]

Project overviews

1. The Canadian Groundfish Research and Conservation Society, in partnership with Vericatch Solutions Inc. will develop an electronic application for fishing vessels that utilizes at-sea monitoring data from commercial groundfish vessels in real time to create heat maps showing where marine species of concern (such as Chinook Salmon, Bocaccio Rickfish, etc.) are being encountered to minimize bycatch.
2. The University of Victoria (UVic) will support BC rockfish recovery and assessment through outreach and citizen-science emphasizing angler awareness of regulations (via MyCatch app) and through an evaluation of the effectiveness of descenders on reducing rockfish mortality. UVic will partner with academia, conservancy organizations and local First Nations.
3. The BC Center for Aquatic Health Sciences and partners, including the BC Salmon Farmers Association, Wei Wai Kum First Nation, and the Pacific Salmon Foundation, will establish a wet lab facility in the Campbell River area to increase research and diagnostic capacity to identify and examine fish health threats and interactions between farmed and wild stock.
4. Led by the British Columbia Conservation Federation, the ‘Innovative Habitat Restoration Demonstration’ is a multi-year, watershed-scale demonstration project to showcase innovative habitat restoration methods that accommodate the effects of recent ecosystem shifts with benefits to Chinook, coho, sockeye and steelhead. The project will promote restoration, protection and maintenance of healthy and diverse salmon populations and their habitats.
5. The National Indigenous Fisheries Institute will engage with Indigenous communities to identify potential large-scale, multi-Nation initiatives that could be supported by BCSRIF. This work will also encourage increased Indigenous involvement in science partnerships, innovation, and infrastructure investments that would improve productivity, sustainability, and safety across the sector.
6. The Scw'exmx Tribal Council and partners will assess and rehabilitate degraded habitats in the Coldwater River and Guichon Creek watersheds to improve survival of Thompson steelhead and Chinook salmon.
7. Through the ‘Enhancing Estuary Resilience: An Innovative Approach to Sustaining Fish and Fish Habitat in a Changing Climate’, the Nature Trust of BC will undertake monitoring and research to assess estuary resilience to sea level rise and other climate impacts across the coast of BC using the Marsh Resiliency to Sea Level Rise (MARS) tool, followed by restoration projects to restore core natural estuarine processes. The Nature Trust of BC will partner with various local First Nations groups, environmental organizations and academic institutions.
8. The Secwepemcul’ecw Restoration and Stewardship Society, in partnership with Secwepemc communities and the 100 Mile Natural Resource District will undertake restoration of critical habitat affected by the 2017 Elephant Hill Wildfire in the Traditional territories of the 8 Secwepemcul’ecw Nations.
9. The University of British Columbia will lead a science partnership project to conduct research on improving the sustainability of capture and release marine recreational Pacific salmon fisheries using new tools and technology;
10. The Baker Creek Enhancement Society will collaborate with the Nazko First Nation to undertake restoration of critical habitat affected by the Plateau Fire. This work will also prevent further habitat degradation from normal precipitation and predictable storm events.
11. The Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium (UVic) will conduct research to improve our understanding of potential threats posed to Pacific salmonids and their habitats posed by climate change and develop risk assessment tools to support adaptive regional management approaches.
12. The ‘Namgis, Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis, and Mamalilikulla First Nations will partner on activities to assess, prioritize and restore critical salmon habitat in the Nimpkish and Kokish Rivers, Rivers flowing from Bond Sound, Thompson Sound, Wakemen Sound, Viner Sound and Rivers Near Hoyea Sound and Lull Creek.
13. The ‘Namgis, Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis, and Mamalilikulla First Nations will work together on the first steps towards establishing a genomics lab to analyze samples collected by First Nations with an interest in conducting independent fish health sampling.
14. The ‘Namgis, Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis, and Mamalilikulla First Nations will implement the Broughton First Nations Indigenous Monitoring and Inspection Plan, using BCSRIF support to build monitoring and oversight capacity over finfish farms in the Broughton, capacity to monitor wild salmon, other marine species (and their ecosystems) and to conduct salmon habitat restoration activities.
15. The Comox Valley Project Watershed Society, with the K’ómoks First Nation, North Island College and other partners, will apply and test tools for identifying, mapping and quantifying important forage fish populations and their habitats. This work will contribute to the conservation of important food sources for Pacific salmon, including Chinook and coho.
16. Tides Canada and the Watershed Watch Society along with other partners, will implement “Connected Waters”, a project to identify priority sites requiring infrastructure upgrades and habitat restoration across the Lower Fraser River watershed, which will support the reintegration of vital wild salmon habitat.
17. The Cowichan Valley Regional District and partners, including Cowichan Tribes,will conduct an evaluation of the natural boundary of Cowichan Lake to support building critical new water storage infrastructure, to provide flows required to sustain Cowichan salmon populations.
18. The Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) will conduct a science-based review of hatcheries in the Pacific Region (including community hatcheries and DFO Major facilities) to evaluate performance and the effectiveness of current genetic and genomic tools, in order to optimize salmon production in BC.
19. The Canadian Wildlife Federation will bring together partners, including federal and provincial governments, non-governmental organization, First Nations, and communities to prioritize fish passage remediation efforts across B.C. to maximize the benefits for steelhead trout and Pacific salmon.
20. The British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association will deliver the Farmland Riparian Interface Stewardship Program, promoting habitat restoration and stewardship and on agricultural lands in BC. The program will encourage environmental farm planning within the agricultural sector for more “fish friendly” land management practices around riparian corridors, as well as promoting water conservation for BC Interior salmon streams experiencing frequent critical low flows.
21. International Year of the Salmon partners, including the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission and the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization, will conduct pan-Pacific vessel surveys in winter/summer 2021 to monitor distribution, abundance, and productivity of salmon to directly inform fisheries management decision and enforcement efforts. This project will provide insight into how climate variability influences the distribution, migration, growth, and fitness of Pacific salmon.
22. The Sport Fishing Institute (SFI) will develop the Fishing BC mobile app, an online information and catch monitoring tool.
23. BCSRIF will also support elements of SFI’s Vision 2021: an action plan to maximize the social and economic potential of the recreational fishery on Canada’s Pacific coast. The project aims to improve representation of the fishing community and increase participation in the fishing sector by youth, new Canadians, and others.

 

[OldBlackDog]

Nice use for our tax dollars

Do not see any fish here!

 

[Cuba Libre]

Nice use for our tax dollars

Do not see any fish here!

Hey OBD-- dont be so negative ! Great job creation for FNs and envio consultants. LOL!

 

[wildmanyeah]

Hey OBD-- dont be so negative ! Great job creation for FNs and envio consultants. LOL!

That's sure what it looks like lots of money for them and no money for the NGO's that push in sea.

 

[wildmanyeah]

Government of Canada and Province of British Columbia announce investments in wild salmon conservation and habitat restoration projects on Vancouver Island

News release
Victoria, BC — Healthy wild fish stocks are vital to the economic prosperity and social fabric of British Columbia’s coastal communities, and are fundamental to the culture of many Indigenous communities.

The focus on research science and restoration projects is part of a broader approach to addressing declines in salmon stocks that include, restoring lost protections for fish and fish habitat in the modernized Fisheries Act, science based fisheries management measures, reviewing concerns regarding predation, and implementing a plan to fight climate change.

Today, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson and Courtenay-Comox MLA Ronna-Rae Leonard announced four Vancouver Island-based projects under the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF), amounting to an investment of almost $2.2 million. These projects are led by:

• The University of Victoria (UVic) which will support BC rockfish recovery and assessment through outreach and citizen-science emphasizing angler awareness of regulations (via the MyCatch app) and through an evaluation of the effectiveness of rockfish descending devices on reducing rockfish mortality. UVic will partner with academia, conservancy organizations and local First Nations.
• The BC Center for Aquatic Health Sciences and partners, including the BC Salmon Farmers Association, will establish a wet lab facility in the Campbell River area to increase research and diagnostic capacity to identify and examine fish health threats and interactions between farmed and wild stock.
• The Cowichan Valley Regional District and partners, including the Cowichan Tribes, which will conduct an evaluation of the natural boundary of Cowichan Lake to support building critical new water storage infrastructure to provide flows required to sustain Cowichan salmon populations.
• The Comox Valley Project Watershed Society, with the K’ómoks First Nation, North Island College and other partners, which will apply and test tools for identifying, mapping and quantifying important forage fish populations and their habitats. This work will contribute to the conservation of important food sources for Pacific salmon, including Chinook and coho.

Projects funded under BCSRIF will advance work to enhance salmon habitats to help support British Columbia’s fish and seafood sector, and help secure the sustainability of wild Pacific salmon, as well as other wild fish stocks. Over the next five years, investments through the BCSRIF will help ensure British Columbia’s wild fisheries are environmentally and economically sustainable for the long-term, and that employment in the fishery is resilient to the challenges of climate change, as well as evolving economic conditions.

BCSRIF funding is open to Indigenous communities, industry associations, environmental non-governmental organizations and academic institutions. Each application is reviewed and approved by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Province of British Columbia. Investments through this program will benefit commercial and recreational fishing and aquaculture, as well as science and research initiatives.

Quotes
“Our government understands the need to protect and restore salmon habitats as a key part of our plan to sustain and restore wild salmon populations. Through the investments being made under the British Columbia Salmon Restauration and Innovation Fund, we are taking decisive action in improving conditions and habitat in waterways across the province. Working in partnership with the Province of British Columbia, I am confident that we can and are making substantive progress in protecting and enhancing our wild fish stocks and in strengthening our fishing industry for today, and for the generations ahead.”

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

“Island rivers are a lifeline for B.C. salmon, and in recent years both rivers and fish have been endangered by the results of a changing climate. These projects support wild salmon populations and habitat at different stages of their lifecycle and are the results of British Columbians from First Nations, governments, academia, and not-for-profit organizations working together in our shared commitment to help wild salmon”

The Honourable Lana Popham, BC Minister of Agriculture

Quick facts

• Additional information on the 23 initial projects selected for BCSRIF can be found online here.
  
• The British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund is a 70 per cent federal, 30 per cent provincial cost-shared program.
  
• The Government of Canada is investing $100 million over five years for the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund, and is providing a one-time investment of $5 million for the Pacific Salmon Endowment Fund.
  
• The Government of British Columbia is investing $42.85 million over five years and has provided a one-time grant of $5 million for the Pacific Salmon Foundation.
  
• 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, can apply.
  
• Salmon are a part of intricate food webs in both their freshwater and marine environments, affecting everything from tiny zooplankton, to large mammals like whales and bears, to birds of prey.
  
• Wild salmon are culturally important for many First Nations in British Columbia. Wild salmon is also part of the province’s long-running tradition of recreational and sport fishing, which is directly connected to its tourism industry.
  
• Further opportunities to apply for funding will be provided in fall 2019. Details and exact dates will be made available at a later date.