NEW CANADIAN COASTAL RESTORATION PROJECT

New Canadian Coastal Restoration Project – The Government of Canada has announced a new coastal restoration project.

The Member of Parliament for Delta, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, on behalf of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, announced that Ducks Unlimited Canada will be conducting a Coastal Restoration Fund project to help restore coastal habitats in the Fraser River Estuary of British Columbia.

This project will improve fish access to tidal marsh habitat in the South Arm of the Fraser River. In collaboration with the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Ducks Unlimited Canada will be modifying existing sea dikes and flood control infrastructure that is currently impairing the ability of the area to provide habitat to fish. These actions will support juvenile Chinook salmon as they begin their seaward migration, in order to improve their early marine survival and contribute to the rebuilding of Pacific salmon populations. Through the Government of Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan, Ducks Unlimited Canada will receive over $2 million over four years for the project.

In May 2017, the Government of Canada announced the $75 million Coastal Restoration Fund to help rehabilitate some of our most vulnerable coastlines and protect marine life and ecosystems. The Coastal Restoration Fund supports projects that contribute to healthier habitats for fish on all of Canada’s coasts with preference given to projects that are multiyear and involve a broad number of partners, including Indigenous groups.
Launched in November 2016, the five year, $1.5 billion Oceans Protection Plan is the largest investment ever made to protect Canada’s coasts and waterways. Over the past two years, the Government of Canada has invested in hundreds of projects that are making our marine safety system stronger, and protecting our coastal environments and marine species more than ever before. Based on the latest science and technology, Indigenous partnerships and collaboration, these projects bring us closer to healthier, cleaner and safer oceans.

The Coastal Restoration Fund’s next public call for proposals was launched November 1, 2018, and outlines a more targeted approach to address the program’s remaining $13.6 million. This call for proposals focuses on:

• regional priority areas that have the greatest strategic value;
• prioritizing regional activities with the greatest benefit to specific coastal ecosystems threats; and
• reducing project size and funding in order to support more initiatives.

For further information please visit the Coastal Restoration Fund website at: http://dfo-mpo.gc.ca/oceans/crf-frc/index-eng.html