The Prince Rupert Port Authority is committing $1 million towards salmon enhancement in the Skeena River watershed.
The port announced on January 8 that it will allocate funding from its community investment to partner with northcoast organizations that help maintain and rehabilitate critical habitats in the watershed.
This means that especially innovative pilot projects that achieve these objectives, while also supporting the health, resilience and sustainability of Skeena River salmon, may get a chance to get funded through the program.
“We take our commitment to the environment seriously — a strong salmon population is crucial to a healthy ecosystem on the North Coast and ultimately, a healthy community,” said Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) president and CEO Shaun Stevenson.
Apart from providing funding, the port authority will also share data from its existing environmental stewardship programs to enhance new salmon-related initiatives across the region.
In a statement released the port recognizes the importance of Skeena River salmon in the economic, environmental, social and cultural fabric of the community, especially for Indigenous communities.
“The organization wants to be part of a local solution to address some of the critical challenges facing Skeena salmon,” reads the statement.
The port authority will start evaluating relevant initiatives and are appealing to groups that are already working in salmon enhancement and protection to contact them.
Over the next couple of weeks it will also be reaching out to inform northwest hatcheries, non-governmental organizations and relevant community groups about the program.
