The Canadian Ministry of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard has announced progress on a new Pacific salmon hatchery on the Chilcotin River that will be operated by the Tŝilhqot’in National Government in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
Over the past year, the Canadian government has provided $675,000 to the Tŝilhqot’in National Government to support the response to the recent landslide on the Chilcotin River and other fishery related activities.
Chinook salmon returning to the Chilcotin watershed hold deep historic and cultural importance to the Tŝilhqot’in people and other First Nations with connections to the Fraser River. The proposed hatchery will support these Chilcotin-watershed Chinook populations, some of which have been assessed as at-risk by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.
These plans build on expertise and extensive technical work led by the Tŝilhqot’in National Government, including baseline data collection, feasibility assessments, hatchery design and building technical capacity. A Tsilhqot’in-led conservation hatchery is a priority among the six main Tŝilhqot’in communities for rebuilding fish and fisheries, and is a critical tool for the recovery and rebuilding of resilient stocks for a thriving traditional fishery.
“Our number one priority is to preserve wild fish stocks,” said Nits’ilʔin Joe Alphonse, Tŝilhqot’in National Government Tribal Chair. “There are many things affecting these stocks, meaning their survival rate is very low. We feel we must intervene and find solutions. What we enhance here is the lifeline to coastal economies and ways of life. The relationship between Orcas and Chinook is an example of this. All sectors have to work together, and we must take a long, hard look at what we prioritize. Our natural stocks must be at the top of this list.”
The proposed hatchery is made possible with funding through DFO’s Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI), an investment towards the protection and restoration of Pacific salmon and their habitats. With this proposed hatchery, DFO and the Tŝilhqot’in National Government are working together to address historic salmon declines and improve access to the fish that are the lifeblood of Indigenous peoples in the region.
“Canada is investing today to support the conservation and restoration of vulnerable Pacific salmon populations, such as Chilcotin Chinook, for the long term,” said Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard. ‘Under the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, we are partnering with Indigenous Peoples, governments, stakeholders, and communities to ensure that Pacific salmon are safeguarded for Indigenous communities and Canadians with a deep and enduring connection to these iconic fish.”
