Minister Shea Launches the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Atlantic Salmon

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA--(Marketwired - March 9, 2015) - Today, the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans attended the first meeting of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Atlantic Salmon in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

In addressing the Committee, Minister Shea reiterated the Government's commitment to take action about the trend of low returns of Atlantic salmon on the East coast and encouraged the Committee members to use their expertise and that of local stakeholders to help determine a fulsome course of action.

At today's meeting, officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans presented the most recent data including the latest science, regional management enforcement measures and international strategies in relation to Atlantic salmon. Tomorrow, Committee members will hear from a number of invited organizations with a specific interest in wild Atlantic salmon conservation who will then take part in a roundtable discussion on solutions to address the Committee's mandate.

The Minister also announced three funding projects to enhance conservation and protection efforts for Atlantic salmon in Nova Scotia. The first is funding of almost $101,000 to the Nova Scotia Salmon Association for habitat restoration projects across the province through the Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program. The other projects total over $300,000 and will fund repairs and upgrades of fishways in Nova Scotia including in Indian Falls and Grand River.

Quick Facts

• The mandate of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Atlantic Salmon is to focus on conservation and enforcement measures, predation, strategy to address international, unsustainable fishing, and focused areas for advancing science.
  
  
• The Committee will hold meetings in Halifax, NS, Moncton, NB, St. John's, NL and if required Quebec City, QC. Local stakeholders with an interest in Atlantic salmon conservation will be invited. Stakeholder groups will also have the opportunity to provide written submissions to the Committee Chair.
  
  
• Since the RFCPP's creation, a total of 73 projects and $ 3.9 million in funding benefitted Atlantic salmon conservation and habitat throughout Atlantic Canada.
  
  
• The RFCPP project for Nova Scotia will restore damaged habitat by implementing permanent fish passage structures at approximately 15 culverts to re-establishing salmonid access to more than 50 kilometers of fish habitat.
  
  
• The Grand River project will upgrade the existing fishway in Grand River, Cape Breton to give salmon access to existing spawning grounds above the Grand River Falls.
  
  
• The repairs to the Indian Falls project will contribute to stock conservation in the area along the LaHave River in Lunenburg County.
  
  

Quotes

"Our Government recognizes the importance of Atlantic Salmon for our region's economy, history and culture. Today the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Atlantic Salmon is initiating its work to find the best solutions to conserve, protect and rebuild this important resource. This Committee, along with the funding projects announced today, is an example of the Government of Canada's commitment to rebuilding our Atlantic Salmon stock."

The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans

"The Minister's committee is composed of a group of people from Atlantic Canada and Quebec who have a vast amount of experience related to Atlantic salmon. They also have a strong passion for the species with many of them volunteering in their communities to address salmon conservation and habitat restoration. I look forward to working with these knowledgeable people, and we are all anxious to start meeting with stakeholders and First Nations partners to address the task at hand."

Greg Roach, Chair, Ministerial Advisory Committee on Atlantic Salmon

"I am delighted to not only be a member of the Minister's Advisory Committee on Atlantic Salmon, but also grateful that the Nova Scotia Salmon Association is a recipient of the Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program. This funding will go towards the NSLC- Adopt A Stream program that supports the work of numerous community groups whose projects result in the restoration of thousands of square meters of aquatic habitat each year."

Rene Aucoin, President, Nova Scotia Salmon Association

Associated Links

- Our Atlantic Salmon Story

- Minister Shea Announces Members of Ministerial Advisory Committee on Atlantic Salmon

- Minister Shea Announces the Creation of a Ministerial Advisory Committee on Atlantic Salmon

- Ministerial Statement - Atlantic Salmon: A complex issue

- Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program

Follow us on Twitter! www.Twitter.com/DFO_MPO

IF THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN ANY PRINTED VERSION AND THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THIS NEWS RELEASE, THE ELECTRONIC VERSION WILL PREVAIL.

This news release is available online at: www.actionplan.gc.ca.