Salmon Steward

projects each year, 67 funding and participating partners, and a total cost that will reach $13 million in Canada alone by the project's end in 2018. (To learn more, visit marinesurvivalproject.com.) STOCKPILING DATA Good scientific data about salmon populations and their habitats is the foundation for salmon conservation.‚And open access to a common source of baseline information is critical for supporting coordinated strategies to manage our salmon and the ecosystems they support. That's why managing the information gained during the SSMSP will be the most important, lasting impact of the project. The Foundation has embraced data management and access systems as a much-needed research and communication activity. In developing the SSMSP, it became evident that huge volumes of historical data about the Strait of Georgia were not securely archived. In partnership with UBC Beaty Biodiveristy Centre and the Sitka Foundation, we have now established the Strait of Georgia Data Centre (sogdatacentre.ca), which will continue to "absorb" data for years to come. Created in partnership with the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the digital tool Pacific Salmon Explorer (salmonexplorer.ca) is a legacy of the B.C. Livings Rivers Fund. The Explorer was initially developed to understand salmon and pressures to their habitat in the Skeena Watershed. But we are now in the process of expanding it to all salmon streams in British Columbia and the Yukon territory. Built in partnership with the federal and provincial governments, First Nations and communities across B.C. and the Yukon, this is the first computer system to visualize the distribution of all salmon species, their historical production salmon Steward magazine 7 and provide multiple overlays of habitat characteristics. Best of all, it will be available to any user, eventually including public access so that anyone and everyone can enhance their understanding of Canada's Pacific salmon resource. Of course, the unstated goal behind all of these activities is to raise funds, and choose and manage projects eœectively. In that regard, the Foundation has been highly successful in increasing its income revenue to invest back into projects. Since 1999, we have grown almost tenfold in annual income so that we can undertake larger projects and build more inclusive and eœective partnerships. But with influence comes responsibility to sustain our commitment to Pacific salmon and their ecosystems, which include people in our "salmon communities." As the SSMSP winds down, other big issues are developing, such as the Southern Resident Killer Whales and their ties to The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, joined Foundation staff to announce $1.2 million in funding for the Pacific Salmon Explorer through the Coastal Restoration Fund. Below: Restoration in the Indian River led by Tsleil-Waututh Nation. Building a larger network of stewards including increased engagement with First Nations is a priority. Streamkeeper training in Qualicum. Increasing available funds for streamkeepers will facilitate more diversified projects in the face of climate change. Above: The Fanny Bay Salmon Enhancement Society often conducts emergency fry salvages to save fry stranded by low water flows. Establishing a community-based monitoring system for stream flows and water quality will help salmon amidst climate change.

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