Ottawa Spending $50M to Build Three B.C. Salmon Hatcheries
The projects will raise more than 1 million juvenile Chinook and sockeye salmon a year as officials respond to declining returns.
- On Tuesday, Federal Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson announced $53 million in contracts to build three new salmon hatcheries across British Columbia, developed in partnership with First Nations to conserve and rebuild declining wild Pacific salmon populations.
- Declining salmon returns, exacerbated by the 2019 Big Bar landslide on the Fraser River, prompted the investment. Lheidli T'enneh Chief Dolleen Logan described the partnership as a collective responsibility to restore populations vital to Indigenous communities.
- Contracts allocate $38 million for the Upper Fraser River facility in Prince George, with $7.5 million each for hatcheries near Hanceville and the Skeena River system. Combined capacity will exceed one million juvenile Chinook and sockeye salmon annually.
- Projects will create up to 100 construction jobs over three years, with 10 to 15 permanent positions at each hatchery once operational. Sites will also serve as educational spaces for youth to learn about salmon's cultural and ecological importance.
- Construction continues through 2027, with the final phase expected in spring 2028. Because salmon typically return in four-year cycles, residents must wait several years after releases before the first generation of hatchery-raised fish returns as mature adults.
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New hatcheries will see up to 1 million more salmon raised and released into Fraser and Skeena Rivers annually
"Salmon are not simply a resource," Lheidli T'enneh Chief Dolleen Logan said at the announcement held in Prince George Tuesday. "Salmon are relatives. They are a part of our culture, our identity, our laws, our responsibilities."
The Toronto Star
Ottawa spending $50M to build three B.C. salmon hatcheries
PRINCE GEORGE - The federal government has announced more than $50 million in contracts for the construction of three separate hatcheries in British Columbia aimed at salmon conservation.
Minister Thompson to announce investments in three salmon hatchery projects in B.C.
Prince George, B.C. - The Honourable Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries and hosted by Chief Dolleen Logan, on behalf of Lheidli T'enneh First Nation, will announce funding for three new Pacific salmon conservation hatcheries in British Columbia. Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2026 Time: 9:15 a.m. PT All media representatives, including
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