More money has flowed in to help fish in the Squamish Estuary.
The Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program has approved $250,500 for the Central Squamish Estuary Restoration Project, which aims to improve fish movement along the Squamish Training Dike — better known as Spit Road — in the Cheakamus River watershed, a news release states.
BC Hydro funds the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program as compensation for the impact its dams have on fish stocks.
The program is a partnership between BC Hydro, the province, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, First Nations, and others.
The next stage of the multi-year project in the Squamish Estuary, which is now in its second year, will focus on the construction of a deflection berm north of Squamish Terminals.
A flow-control structure will be installed to reconnect the water from the central estuary back into the adjacent Bridge Pond/Cattermole Slough, according to the release.
“This is an important project for fish passage in the Cheakamus River Watershed,” said FWCP’s coastal region manager, Julie Fournier. “We’re working closely with local First Nations, government, stakeholders, and community groups to restore fish populations in this watershed.”
The Squamish River Watershed Society is leading the project, with the goal of helping chinook, chum, pink, coho, and steelhead salmon at all life stages, as well as the occasional sockeye salmon, herring, and any species that make use of the area.
Squamish's project is one of 33 projects, totalling $1.9 million that are funded by the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program in the coastal region of B.C. in 2019 and 2020.
Go to fwcp.ca for more information on the program.
