Mosaic Forest Management Announces Support for Salmon at Wilfred Creek Hatchery
Mosaic Forest Management has renewed an agreement with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to expand a hatchery at the Wilfred Creek Hatchery in the Comox Valley on central Vancouver Island. The expansion will support the addition of rearing tanks for coho and chum salmon, and upgrades to a side channel for holding adult brood stock on Mosaic’s private managed forest land.
“The expansion of the Wilfred Creek Hatchery is an important boost to the health of salmon populations and habitat in this important watershed,” said Rob Gough, President and CEO of Mosaic Forest Management. “Watershed and habitat protection is a top priority in our management practices and sustainability commitments across our forest lands.”
Mosaic has long supported the Wilfred Creek Hatchery through access agreements, funding contributions, and the annual donation of seedlings used in riparian habitat restoration. DFO, the Pacific Salmon Foundation, and the Fanny Bay Salmonid Enhancement Society (FBSES) are key partners in the Wilfred Creek Hatchery expansion project.
“The declining state of Pacific salmon populations across BC calls for a growth in funding and efforts to help save and restore Pacific salmon. Grassroots streamkeeper groups are instrumental in the day-to-day work to help support salmon conservation in their home watersheds and we are pleased to see our long-time supporter, Mosaic, expanding salmon enhancement efforts in the Comox Valley through FBSES,” says Michael Meneer, President & CEO, Pacific Salmon Foundation.
“The cooperation of Mosaic and all of our partners is critical to the success of the Wilfred Creek Hatchery expansion project,” said Judy Ackinclose, President of the Fanny Bay Salmonid Enhancement Society. “We are an entirely volunteer-run organization, and working with those who share a common vision for the health of salmon is critical to the success of the project.”
FBSES operates two hatcheries, at Wilfred and Rosewall creeks, with the help of 55 volunteers dedicated to the enhancement and habitat restoration. An important initiative of the FBSES is the maintenance of a coniferous tree nursery that raises over 2,000 seedlings each year from trees donated by Mosaic, and others, for planting along stream beds for habitat restoration. Trees are an important part of salmon habitat, providing shade and helping to prevent erosion.
“DFO’s role includes supporting the important work of streamkeeper groups, like the Fanny Bay Salmon Enhancement Society, in their dedication to protecting salmon stocks and habitats,” said Jacob Melville, Community Advisor, North Central Vancouver Island, Fisheries and Oceans Canada. “We’re thrilled to see this important initiative move ahead.”
Mosaic has proudly supported the FBSES over the past 12 years in their ‘The River Never Sleeps Festival’, a free event at the Rosewall Hatchery. Over 700 people attended this year’s festival held in early May, including employee volunteers from Mosaic.
For information about Mosaic’s management commitments in watersheds, visit MosaicForests.com/Watersheds.
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About Mosaic Forest Management Corp.
Mosaic Forest Management Corporation is in the business of sustainable forest stewardship, managing private timberlands and public forest tenures in Coastal British Columbia for more than a century. Mosaic employs several thousand people directly and indirectly, and is strongly committed to achieving positive economic, social and sustainability outcomes from the working forest. For more information, visit MosaicForests.com.
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Mosaic Forest Management
Karin Doherty, Director, Government Relations & Communications
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