Minister Jordan Highlights Importance of Growing Canada's Ocean Economy

VANCOUVER, BC, July 14, 2020 /CNW/ - Canada's three oceans are an integral part of our national identity. They provide beauty and enjoyment to our citizens, serve as a refuge and ecosystem to millions of life forms and support a thriving ocean economy accounting for approximately $31.65 billion annually in GDP. From Pacific reefs that are over 9,000 years old, to important feeding grounds for fish stocks in the Atlantic, to critical habitats for beluga whales in the Arctic, Canada is taking action to protect our oceans and the life they sustain. The Government of Canada recognizes that, as our economy starts to open up, it will be more important than ever to chart a course to grow Canada's Blue Economy.

The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Bernadette Jordan, speaking at the Vancouver Board of Trade today, outlined the Government's path forward to achieve healthy, sustainable oceans and economic prosperity here in Canada and around the world. This includes reaching our target of protecting 25% of our oceans by 2025, working toward 30% by 2030, and developing a national Blue Economy Strategy to ensure Canada is positioned to take advantage of new opportunities.

The Government of Canada exceeded its 10 % marine conservation target ahead of the United Nations' 2020 deadline, reaching 13.81 % in 2019. Minister Jordan spoke about the Government's ongoing work to reach its next protections target, including a Pacific Area of Interest for marine protection off the coast of Vancouver Island. 

At the same time as the Government has increased ocean protections, the Blue Economy has continued to grow, employing approximately 300, 000 Canadians currently across various industries.  The Minister underscored the importance of creating a Blue Economy Strategy that will guide the Government of Canada's actions and investments to grow Canada's ocean economy.

Minister Jordan made clear that environmental protection must therefore continue to go hand-in-hand with economic growth. To that end, she announced that Fisheries and Oceans will be accepting new applications for funding from July 15 to September 15, 2020 for the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF). Funding is open to Indigenous communities, industry associations, environmental non-governmental organizations, commercial enterprises, and academic institutions. Investments through this program will help recover salmon habitat, benefit commercial and recreational fishing and aquaculture, as well as support science and research initiatives. Pacific wild salmon are integral to British Columbia's economy and cultural heritage, and restoring their populations is a shared, top priority. 

Today, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Bernadette Jordan, and the BC Minister of Agriculture, the Honourable Lana Popham, announced funding for eight projects under the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF). More than $10 million in funding will support research and monitoring activities, infrastructure upgrades to community hatcheries, and the development of strategies to enhance the sustainability of Pacific fisheries.

Quotes

"We cannot have a strong ocean economy without healthy oceans. With three oceans and the longest coastline in the world, Canada has a real opportunity to both grow our economy and become a global leader in ocean conservation.  That's why our government will be moving forward to protect 25 per cent of Canada's oceans by 2025 and 30 per cent by 2030 and will work to advance a blue economy strategy.  We are also investing now through such programs as British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund in efforts that will protect and restore our oceans and coastlines. Together we will ensure that more Canadians can sustainably continue to make a living on, and from, the water for generations to come."

The Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

"The BCSRIF projects will continue to increase our knowledge and understanding of wild salmon behaviour, and to improve the conditions of B.C.'s waterways and oceans so they can support wild fish populations in the years and generations ahead. The collective work underway by First Nations, scientists and community groups demonstrates how important wild fisheries are to British Columbians, and gives us all hope for sustainable wild fish populations in the future."

The Honourable Lana Popham, BC Minister of Agriculture

Quick Facts

• Canada's oceans economy accounts for about $31.65 billion annually in GDP. This includes marine transportation, ship building, energy, tourism and recreation. All of these sectors provide opportunities and jobs to our coastal communities.
• Canada's aquaculture industry in general currently provides 30,000 good middle-class jobs on all three coasts, mostly in coastal, rural and Indigenous communities.
• The Government of Canada has begun work to introduce Canada's first-ever Aquaculture Act, with the aim of bringing more clarity and transparency to Canadians as to how aquaculture will be managed in order to achieve responsible and sustainable growth.
• DFO is committed to working with the Province and Indigenous communities to create a responsible plan to transition open net-pen farming in British Columbia. We will move forward using the best available science, evidence, and input to develop a plan for aquaculture in B.C. and will be exploring all options throughout this process.
• The BCSRIF is a 70 per cent federal, 30 per cent provincial cost-shared program.
• The Government of Canada is investing $100 million over five years for the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund, and provided a one-time investment of $5 million for the Pacific Salmon Endowment Fund.
• The Government of British Columbia is investing $42.85 million over five years and has provided a one-time grant of $5 million for the Pacific Salmon Foundation.
• Indigenous communities, commercial organizations in the wild fisheries and aquaculture sectors, recreational fisheries, as well as non-commercial organizations such as universities and research institutions, industry associations and conservation groups, can apply.
• All applications are reviewed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Province of British Columbia.

Associated Links

• Canada's Marine Protected Areas: https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/oceans/mpa-zpm-aoi-si-eng.html
• Meeting Canada's Marine Conservation Targets: https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/oceans/conservation/achievement-realisations/index-eng.html
• British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/initiatives/fish-fund-bc-fonds-peche-cb/index-eng.html

Backgrounder
Eight new BCSRIF Projects

Eight new projects are receiving approximately $10.5M in funding through the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF). This brings the total number of projects funded to 38, accounting for $66.9M of $142.85M in total funding allocated. The latest projects that are receiving funding through BCSRIF include:

• the Pacific Salmon Foundation will receive approximately $410,000 over three years to integrate traditional and modern technologies to automate salmon counting and species identification from video and sonar data. Connecting these tools with community-run escapement monitoring programs around the North and Central coast to inform adaptive management of salmon fisheries;
• the 'Namgis First Nation will receive approximately $1,977,000 over five years to support Phase 2 of a project to establish an independent British Columbia (BC) First Nations genomics laboratory. Project partners will equip the k? cp??lk? stim? laboratory to analyze samples collected through the Indigenous Monitoring and Inspection Plan (IMIP), as well as providing services to other First Nations in BC with an interest in conducting independent fish health sampling;
• the Pacific Salmon Foundation will receive approximately $336,000 over one year to support upgrades to the Percy Walkus Hatchery in Rivers Inlet, which provides local capacity to enhance three local Chinook salmon stocks of significant cultural and economic significance;
• the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council will receive approximately $390,000 over four years to undertake an evaluation of spatial and in-season management options for associated food, social, and ceremonial (FSC), and commercial herring fisheries to ensure the sustainability of these fisheries on the West coast of Vancouver Island;
• the University of BC will receive approximately $1,829,000 over four years to provide a BC-based solution for growing larger, more physiologically robust Atlantic salmon smolts in freshwater recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). This project will help to improve both the sustainability and productivity of BC's aquaculture industry by increasing the amount of time farmed salmon are reared in land-based RAS and reducing the amount of time farmed Atlantic salmon spend in marine net-pens;
• the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance Society will receive approximately $679,000 over four years to contribute to an improved understanding of stock status and trends through the development of passive integrated transponder tag mark-recapture techniques for hatchery Coho salmon in the Chilliwack River during spawning migration. The infrastructure developed for this project will be used to inform future work on stock level studies of Fraser salmon;
• the Pacific Salmon Foundation will receive approximately $4,619,000 over four years to develop the monitoring and evaluation framework to determine survival bottlenecks in freshwater and marine environments for hatchery and wild Chinook, Coho, and Steelhead; and,
• the Spruce City Wildlife Association will receive approximately $240,000 over two years to support infrastructure upgrades to its conservation hatchery to improve biosecurity and enhance production at the facility to support the restoration and rebuilding of Upper and Middle Fraser Chinook stocks.

BCSRIF will be accepting new applications for funding from July 15 to September 15, 2020. Funding is available for projects that meet the eligibility and assessment criteria in BC. Priorities for the fund in 2020 are:

• research to refine the scientific understanding of Fraser Steelhead, Chinook, and Coho through science collaborations and the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge;
• habitat restoration projects that target red status conservation units or COSEWIC-listed populations;
• innovative processes and technologies to increase the quality and value of BC fish and seafood products and optimize fishing operations;
• projects to advance selective fishing practices aimed at minimizing bycatch of species of concern;
• new aquaculture technologies and processes to improve environmental performance and increase supply chain transparency; and,
• infrastructure upgrades or improvements to existing hatcheries.

Further information on the application process, timelines and program criteria are available on the BCSRIF website: www.bcsrif.ca

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SOURCE Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region