Happy B.C. Wild Salmon Day!
 
Today we join Indigenous communities, federal colleagues, conservation organizations, and B.C.’s fishing community in celebrating BC Wild Salmon Day! Wild Pacific salmon are an iconic species that mean many different things to British Columbians. They are culturally significant to B.C.'s Indigenous communities, contribute to our province's food security and are the economic backbone of many coastal communities, providing good jobs throughout B.C.
 
As we recognize B.C. Wild Salmon Day, we take great pride in celebrating how many people in our province are committed to helping protect and revitalize B.C.'s wild salmon populations. There are British Columbians who dedicate their careers to wild salmon, volunteer their time and effort to help restore habitat in watersheds in their communities or share information and engage others in the value of healthy rivers, lakes and streams. We want to both recognize and thank each one of them for making a difference.
 
The Province is supporting efforts to protect and restore wild salmon through the $143-million British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund. To date, the federal and provincial government fund has supported 42 projects with over $71 million. More projects are on the way.
 
On Vancouver Island, the Peninsula Streams Society has received funding to remove an existing obstruction in Millstream Creek and to install a fish ladder and a fish-friendly culvert. When the project is complete, trout and coho will have a 40% increase in habitat. The new fishway will also provide educational opportunities for locals and Mill Hill Regional Park visitors.
 
Our government is committed to working with Indigenous communities, conservation organizations and B.C.'s fishing community to support the conservation of wild salmon in the province and to continue to build a wild salmon recovery strategy we can all be proud of. This collaboration is what we need to get the job done with all of us working together so salmon will continue to swim in our waters for generations to come.
 
Sincerely,