Government Of Canada Is Funding Collaborative Research To Support Atlantic Salmon Recovery

MONCTON, NEW BRUNSWICK – The Government of Canada is taking action, through collaborative science, to support the recovery of declining Atlantic salmon stocks on Canada's East Coast.

Parliamentary Secretary Serge Cormier, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc,
Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, today announced that Fisheries and Oceans Canada will be providing more than $600,000 to Atlantic salmon science and conservation experts to further our understanding of Atlantic salmon and to help us make decisions on potential recovery strategies.

Approximately $360,000 of this funding will go towards targeted academic and Indigenous research projects to increase our knowledge of Atlantic salmon and the threats affecting their recovery. Approximately $250,000 will go towards the Atlantic Salmon Federation's monitoring program to better understand Atlantic salmon migration routes, behaviours, and areas of high mortality. The remaining $50,000 will support the coordination activities of a new joint venture for Atlantic salmon research.

The Atlantic Salmon Research Joint Venture is Canada's first collaborative forum for bringing Atlantic salmon science and conservation communities together. Made up of experts from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Indigenous groups, provincial agencies, non-government organizations, academic institutions, and other stakeholders, the Atlantic Salmon Research Joint Venture will promote the sharing of scientific research with the goal of conserving and rebuilding the species. The Joint Venture held its inaugural meeting on September 29 and 30, 2016, in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Quotes

"Atlantic salmon is an important cultural, recreational and economic species to Indigenous peoples, anglers and communities throughout the Atlantic provinces and Quebec. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting new science that could help improve salmon populations, and we are proud to support Canada's first collaborative forum for sharing research on this precious species."

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

"The Government of Canada is committed to improving Atlantic salmon stocks, but we can't go about it alone. By collaborating with science and conservation experts, and supporting their research, we will all be more effective in encouraging their recovery."

Serge Cormier, Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

Quick Facts

The $660K funding comes from a new $5 million Priorities and Partnership Fund as part of the Budget 2016 investment of $197.1 million in ocean and freshwater science. The Priorities and Partnership Fund aims to support and leverage new partnerships and collaborations within Canada's ocean and freshwater science community, which will enhance our ability to make informed, evidence-based decisions on priority issues.
The funding will support research projects led by the Atlantic Salmon Federation, the Nunatsiavut Government in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Université de Moncton, and the University of New Brunswick.
The creation of the Atlantic Salmon Research Joint Venture is a direct response to recommendations stemming from the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Atlantic Salmon and forms part of Canada's Forward Plan for Atlantic Salmon.