Ottawa/Victoria/Fraser Valley – The Federal Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Joyce Murray and Fin Donnelly, BC’s Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Aquaculture on behalf of the BC Minister of Land, Water, and Resource Stewardship, the Honourable Josie Osborne, announced $30.5 million in funding for 22 projects under the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF).
The investment supports monitoring, research and planning processes that will enhance our understanding of the critical factors affecting local salmon populations. The results will help inform future management decisions as we work to restore and rebuild key salmon habitats throughout the province. Of the 22 projects, 18 will be led by or conducted in partnership with Indigenous organizations and communities across British Columbia.
For the Fraser Valley:
• The Fraser Salmon Management Council will receive $400,000 to assemble Indigenous and DFO and other agency technical and science experts to share findings and conclusions and make recommendations that support the protection and restoration of Fraser Chinook and other salmon stocks.
• The MakeWay Charitable Society will receive $2.7 million to continue Phase 2 of MakeWay’s Resilient Waters initiative. Building on earlier work, funded by BCSRIF, the project will restore connections to wild salmon habitat which has, historically, been alienated by flood control infrastructure installed adjacent to the Lower Fraser River, between Richmond and Hope, BC. Working with cross-sector partnerships, this project will implement fish-friendly flood control solutions while advancing research and best practices for fish-friendly flood practices.
