Minister Wilkinson attends the Seymour River Restoration Celebration Event

Press Release

North Vancouver, British Columbia — The Seymour River is home to many fish runs and is an integral part of the landscape of North Vancouver and the broader Vancouver area ecosystem. The rockslide that occurred in 2014 significantly impacted the waterway, the salmon run and the surrounding area. Together with Indigenous communities, local governments and non-governmental organizations including the Seymour Salmonid Society, Fisheries and Oceans Canada has been working to restore and conserve the Seymour River habitat.

Today, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, and Member of Parliament for North Vancouver, Jonathan Wilkinson, attended the Seymour River Restoration Celebration Event, in North Vancouver, with regional First Nation leaders and members of the Seymour Salmonid Society. This community event focused on the collaborative restoration activities that have been taking place since the 2014 rockslide. The successful restoration of the habitat will allow adult fish to pass through by the end of 2019.

Restoring and conserving habitat is integral to the Government of Canada’s work to protect Canada’s pristine wilderness, on land and on water, and double the amount of nature protected in the country. A keystone of our commitment to restore protections for our waterways is the new Fisheries Act. Minister Wilkinson had an opportunity to address the Government of Canada’s achievements in habitat and restoration at the celebration event today, including the new Fisheries Act which:

• restores the protections for fish and fish habitat;
• strengthens the role of Indigenous peoples in project reviews, monitoring, and policy;
• adds important safeguards for our fisheries, including measures to rebuild damaged fish stocks, and restore degraded habitat;
• brings greater certainty to proponents and industry through a clear path on requirements for large projects, as well as for farmers across the country through codes of practice; and,
• ensures that our fisheries and environment are protected for future generations to come.

Collaboration is key to protect Canada’s nature. The restoration work celebrated today will allow salmon to remain a part of the healthy Seymour River ecosystem.

Quick facts

• The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has a Salmonid Enhancement Program (SEP), which has provided $30,000 of additional funding to the Seymour River Hatchery over the past few years.
• The SEP was used to purchase materials and equipment to support fish transport, maintenance and other work related to slide remediation. SEP has also provided significant in-kind support by providing technical staff for project design, fish fence operation and transport, and construction support.
• DFO’s Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program provided the Seymour Salmonid Society approximately $236,000 over three years to facilitate the remediation of the Seymour rock slide.
• The Department has also provided nearly $936,000 to the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations to further their efforts toward this remediation project.

Contacts

Media Relations
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
613-990-7537
Media.xncr@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Marie-Pascale Des Rosiers
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
Tel: 613-314-4591
Marie-Pascale.DesRosiers@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

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