Septembre 24, 2013
WEST VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, accompanied by John Weston, Member of Parliament for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, today announced that, through the newly established Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program, the Government of Canada will provide funding of up to $142,000 to support two projects to restore, rebuild and rehabilitate recreational fisheries habitat in the Squamish area of British Columbia.
“Recreational fishing is a popular leisure activity in our communities that not only brings family and friends together, but also contributes to our economy by attracting tourists and creating jobs,” said Minister Shea. “By partnering with our local groups who work on the ground to conserve fish habitat, our Government helps promote investments in recreational fisheries habitat restoration, for the benefit of our communities in years to come.”
“Today, two groups with which we worked closely won the attention and support of our Government. That is the Squamish River Watershed Society and the Pacific Salmon Foundation, which teamed up together to propose other great fisheries enhancement projects for our riding. I applaud the innovation and collaborative spirit of all involved,” added MP Weston.
These two projects were submitted during the first round of applications for Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program, which closed on July 12, 2013. In this first round, a total of 28 projects were approved in British Columbia to restore, rebuild and rehabilitate recreational fisheries habitat. The Government of Canada will provide up to $1.9 million to support these projects.
The Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program will make as much as $10 million available over two years to support recreational fisheries habitat conservation activities. The funding for projects submitted in the first round of applications provides up to $6.5 million for 104 projects to restore, rebuild and rehabilitate recreational fisheries habitat across the country.
For more information on the Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program, and on how to apply for the second round of funding this fall, visit: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/habitat/rfcpp-ppcpr/index-eng.asp.
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