Salmon Steward

Photo (toP): Island moments PhotograPhy salmon Steward magazine 21 HatcHeries, Habitats & enHancement What is salmon enhancement? Quite simply, it refers to activities that produce more fish. The Pacific Salmon Foundation supports many small community hatcheries across the province, plus a wide variety of habitat restoration projects that enhance the survival of juvenile salmon and/or increase access of mature salmon to spawning areas. Enhancement is the objective of DFO's Salmonid Enhancement Program, which supports e-orts to conserve and restore vulnerable salmon stocks, and provide recreational, aboriginal and commercial fishing opportunities. In a hatchery, juvenile salmon survive at higher rates than in the wild. Eggs are taken from salmon that have returned to spawn and incubated at the hatchery. After the eggs have hatched, the young salmon are moved to rearing ponds and fed for varying lengths of time depending on the species before being released back into streams. These activities follow the natural life cycle of each salmon species. The other part of the formula is ensuring young and returning salmon have healthy habitat to grow in and spawn. The Foundation supports plantings that often engage schools and the community at large, and large-scale projects to add rocks, root wads and other large woody debris to channels. Since inception, the majority of the Pacific Salmon Foundation's community grants have supported enhancement and habitat restoration activities. In 2017, the Foundation provided grants of more than $1 million to 69 enhancement and habitat projects across B.C. and in the Yukon. But the actual value of these projects was more than $7.2 million, because every dollar granted by the Foundation generates an additional seven dollars for projects through matching investments at the community level. Unfortunately, the Pacific Salmon Foundation is unable to support many of the qualified applications submitted due to lack of funding. But you can help by donating today to help sustain Pacific salmon, and the ecosystems and fisheries they support! Donations can be made via psf.ca or our attached formvelope. For every $100 donated by August 31, 2018, you will receive one entry to win a TR3 mooching rod and reel donated by Islander Reels. The future of wild salmon is in your hands. n in tHe last seven years alone, tHe Foundation Has: Planted more than 430,000 trees and shrubs beside streams. Plants provide shade, support insects (salmon food) and stabilize stream banks. rehabilitated more than 1.75 million square metres of streams and estuaries. Projects include native planting beside streams and channel complexing to add rocks and large woody debris. Complexing slows water flows and provides salmon refuge from predators. Produced more than 48 million juvenile salmon through community hatcheries.

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