Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Nuxalk Nation, and Ingenium collaborate to create new Snootli Creek Hatchery Welcome Centre, marking the completion of the $20 million hatchery rebuild Français
BELLA COOLA, BC, Aug. 22, 2024 /CNW/ - Protecting, conserving and restoring wild Pacific salmon stocks in British Columbia is a key priority for the Government of Canada. Pacific salmon hatcheries have a key role to play in this effort and are critical in aiding the recovery of vulnerable stocks.
Today, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Nuxalk Nation, and Ingenium (Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation), announced the official opening of the new Welcome Centre at Snootli Creek Hatchery. The opening marks the completion of a seven-year major project to refurbish and modernize infrastructure and fish culture systems at the Snootli Creek Hatchery facility. Built in 1978, the facility has been in operation for more than 35 years and needed significant renewal to extend its operational life and enable more efficient and effective operations.
The new Welcome Centre is a key element of the refurbished hatchery and will help to educate and engage the local community and visitors about enhancement, the role of hatcheries in the ongoing effort to protect and support this iconic species and the shared responsibility of all in the stewardship of healthy habitats and ecosystems.
The Centre features dynamic and interactive displays written in three languages: Nuxalk, English and French, to highlight the importance of salmon to Nuxalk people and affirm their deep and historic connection to salmon and rivers in their traditional territory. The Hatchery also serves as a focal point for salmon education and watershed stewardship in the area through its work with the Nation, volunteers, streamkeepers, schools and community partners in helping to support the protection of the Bella Coola Valley's unique cultural and natural heritage.
Quotes
"The Government of Canada is committed to a renewed relationship with Indigenous Peoples based on the recognition of rights, respect, cooperation and partnership. Our collaboration with Nuxalk Nation and local community members to create such a dynamic and visually stunning Welcome Centre is an important step in advancing this commitment. The renewal and modernization of the hatchery itself further demonstrates our ongoing efforts to ensure the long-term protection of Pacific salmon, and helps to underscore that education and public awareness are crucial to the future of this iconic species."
The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
"This project is a step forward in honouring Nuxalk knowledge, language, and culture, and shows us how much we can accomplish when we work together in a truly inclusive way. For Nuxalk, protecting our salmon is akin to protecting our way of life, and this common vision has united us all to care for and preserve our salmon for our Putl'lt, those yet unborn. This Welcome Centre will help inform both visitors and locals and inspire students about the role Nuxalkmc have always played in the stewardship of our salmon, and how this hatchery and its personnel are helping to continue this important work."
Dr. Snxakila (Clyde) Tallio, Cultural Director, Nuxalk Nation
"We know that true reconciliation includes reconcili-ACTION; resulting in projects and initiatives on the ground that make a real difference in our communities. By collaborating with us on this important project, Fisheries & Oceans Canada has demonstrated their commitment to continue building their relationship with Nuxalk through shared values and mutual respect. On behalf of Nuxalk Chief and Council, I offer my congratulations to everyone involved in this incredible Welcome Centre."
Samuel Schooner, Nuxalk Nation Chief Councillor
"We are beyond thrilled to be reaching residents and visitors in the Bella Coola Valley with Ingenium's brand of story-telling. Our partnership with Fisheries and Oceans Canada continues to bring fascinating and timely science to people everywhere, and we are so very grateful for the opportunity to collaborate on this project with the Nuxalk First Nation. The Nation has offered and shaped an exciting narrative to be discovered in the Snootli Creek Hatchery Welcome Centre, a site privileged to be operating on the lands of the Nuxalk Peoples."
Christina Tessier, President and CEO, Ingenium – Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation
Quick Facts
- The Hatchery is located on the lands of the Nuxalk Peoples, 12 kilometers east of Bella Coola, at the head of the North Bentinck Arm on B.C.'s central coast.
- The Hatchery enhances chum, Chinook, sockeye and coho salmon.
- Hatchery staff have a long history of working with external initiatives to provide facilities and guidance for projects around the B.C. Central Coast.
- Pacific salmon hatcheries, under DFO's Salmonid Enhancement Program (SEP), have a key role to play under the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI) in supporting vulnerable salmon stocks; with our Reconciliation journey with Indigenous communities; with our partnerships with community groups and coastal areas; in lessening the impacts of recreational and commercial fishing on wild salmon populations by providing targeted harvest opportunities to reduce impacts on vulnerable salmon stocks, and in supporting regional and international stock assessment programs.
- The Snootli Creek Hatchery is one of 23 major salmon hatcheries and spawning channels operated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
- While the planning for the Snootli Creek Hatchery rebuilding project predates the PSSI, the refurbished facility will be an important resource supporting this transformative initiative.
Stay Connected
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- Follow the Canadian Coast Guard on X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
SOURCE Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region
For more information: Gabriel Bourget, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, [email protected]; Media Relations, Pacific Region, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 604-666-1746, [email protected]; Media Relations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 613-990-7537, [email protected]
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