The Honourable Joanne Thompson Minister of Fisheries has announced contracts valued at fifty-three million to upgrade fish hatchery’s two in the north and one in the lower mainland.
The contracts values are being split with three Nations with Tsilhqot’in, Gitanyow both getting 7.5 million and the Lheidli T’enneh also getting 38 million.
The Gitanyow project will be marking the next phase of development for the Wilp’Ho Dix Hatchery.
This facility will be located on the Kitwanga River.
The facility will have the capacity to raise 300,000 juvenile sockeye salmon, with the potential to expand to up to 400,000 in the future.
“Thirty years ago, Chief Biiyosxw of Wilp Gwaas Hla’am was raising salmon in a small wooden shed beside the creek because we understood then, as we do today, that we have a responsibility to care for the salmon and the waters that sustain them. To see Wilp’Ho Dix now taking shape at the entrance to Gitanyow Village is incredibly meaningful. This new hatchery builds on generations of Gitanyow knowledge, stewardship and determination, and will help ensure that Kitwanga sockeye are here for generations to come.” – Joel Starlund Executive Director, Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs Office
Tsilhqot’in National Government contract is awarded to Industra Construction, to formally initiate construction of a new Pacific salmon conservation hatchery in the upper Fraser River watershed.
The facility will be located near Hanceville.
The hatchery will have an initial capacity to raise 250,000 Chinook salmon fry annually and will incorporate design features and technology.
“Salmon are not just a resource for our people; they are food security, intergenerational knowledge sharing, connection to the land and waters, our culture, and who we are as Tŝilhqot’in, the River People. We’ve been working toward this permanent hatchery since 2019 because we know that our fish should be raised here at home.” – Chief Otis Guichon, Sr., Tŝideldel First Nation, Tribal Chief of the Tŝilhqot’in National Government
And lastly Lheidli T’enneh First Nation construction contract has been awarded to IDL Projects Inc. to build the Upper Fraser River Salmon Conservation Hatchery.
It will be built on the north bank of the Nechako River
The hatchery will have an initial capacity to raise 400,000 juvenile Chinook salmon annually.
“As a Nation, fisheries are central to the work we do. We remain committed to maintaining biodiversity in our traditional territory while enhancing salmon populations throughout the region. With an eye towards our shared future, we are positioned to impart traditional knowledge and opportunities on Nation youth, while developing new skills and employment opportunities.” – Chief Dolleen Logan, on behalf of Lheidli T’enneh First Nation
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