British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF)
Fish Passage Restoration Initiative
The Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) is pleased to announce the removal of multiple barriers to fish passage in B.C. CWF is working with diverse partners to restore access to critical spawning and rearing habitats for aquatic species at risk including Pacific salmon, Westslope Cutthroat Trout and Steelhead. This project is made possible in part by funding provided by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Province of BC and through the BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF).
There are more than 172,000 road crossings over fish-bearing streams in B.C., with an estimated 92,000 of these crossings being either partially or fully impassable to fish. CWF is working with the province of British Columbia’s Fish Passage Technical Working Group (FPTWG), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF), and the Pacific Streamkeepers Federation (PSkF) to develop a B.C. Fish Passage Restoration Initiative to remediate these crossings and other barriers to fish movement in a strategic way that provides the most benefit to salmon and federally listed fish species at risk.
The B.C. Fish Passage Restoration Initiative builds on processes developed by the FPTWG to engage new partners and funders, adapt and expand provincial prioritization tools, and remediate additional barriers that FPTWG or DFO would not otherwise be able to address with their existing funds and mandates. The conservation plans and expanded prioritization tools generated through this initiative will continue to inform future efforts to remediate barriers, supporting benefits to fish populations beyond their lifespan.
