Broad range of interest for new B.C. salmon fund

Newly-minted British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund has received 192 applications.

By SeaWestNews

The newly-minted British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund has received 192 applications to support the protection of wild fisheries and enhance sustainability in the seafood industry.

The first stage for the applications closed April 15, 2019, said a Department of Fisheries spokesperson, adding “the department has received a broad level of interest.”

“Further opportunities to apply for funding will be provided in fall 2019. Details and exact dates will be updated when available,” she said in a statement to SeaWestNews.

The British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund will support projects that leverage local knowledge such as local Indigenous monitoring and guardianship programs and community-led habitat restoration, among other innovative projects aimed at protecting and restoring wild fish stocks.

Ottawa and Victoria will pump $142.85 million over the next five years towards the fund.

“The new BC Salmon Innovation and Restoration Fund will restore and protect our wild Pacific salmon, while creating more economic opportunities and jobs for the people of British Columbia,” said Fisheries Minister Fisheries, Jonathan Wilkinson, when announcing the program.

John Paul Fraser, the executive director of the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) said then: “B.C.’s salmon farmers have worked closely with communities on wild salmon restoration, recovery and research projects…this announcement gives us, and the whole salmon community, an opportunity to do more to protect this iconic and threatened species.”

To be eligible for funding, projects must focus on one or more of the following three areas:

Innovation – to encourage the development of new technologies to increase productivity and help meet conservation and sustainability objectives, including the protection and restoration of wild BC stocks, including Pacific salmon;

Infrastructure – to encourage capital investments in new products, processes or technologies to support the advancement of sustainable fishing practices and to support the protection and restoration of wild BC stocks, including Pacific salmon;

Science partnerships – to support collaborations with academia and other research institutions to improve our knowledge and understanding of impacts to wild stocks and to develop sustainable fishing practices.

To find out more about eligibility, project criteria and how to apply, visit the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund web page: bcsrif.ca.

Inch Creek hatchery image courtesy of DFO

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