Seymour Hatchery Receives Boost

SEYMOUR salmon received their second dose of good news recently.

The Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) will provide funding of up to $100,000 annually to the Seymour Salmonid Society towards the cost of operations at the Seymour River hatchery, the district's board of directors announced Friday.

The GVRD's contribution, based on 45% of the hatchery's overall budget, is contingent on the society's success in reaching multi-year funding agreements with other agencies. In addition to the GVRD funds, the society proposes that the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) pay 45% of the costs and that the remaining 10% come from society resources.

Initially built in 1977 by the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) as part of the Salmon Enhancement Program, the hatchery was expanded in 1987 when the Seymour Salmonid Society was formed. It has been upgraded since.

In May of this year, the hatchery received a shot in the arm from Fisheries Minister Fred Mifflin. He visited the site to announce that the feds would restore $153,000 in funding to the Seymour operation and $3 million to B.C. hatcheries. However, funding was only restored to the 1996-97 fiscal year. At the time, Mifflin said he would review the enhancement program's effectiveness for one to two years. On the issue of future funding, he said the government would look at salmon abundance when making a decision.

North Vancouver District resident Mary-Sue Atkinson led the fight to restore the funding. Now, she's working on pressuring the provincial government to adopt urban salmon habitat protection guidelines as regulations.

In all, some 4.9 million Coho salmon fry have been released at the Seymour hatchery.

Thriving volunteer and education programs have been established and habitat on the Seymour River improved. Each year, 10,000 people visit the hatchery.

The hatchery is an integral part of the Seymour Conservation Reserve education program. The Seymour Conservation Reserve is administered by the GVRD, which provides the public with a unique opportunity to view forest management research, including interactions with the fisheries resource, timber and water values, wildlife and recreational activities. The GVRD has produced a series of maps of the Seymour Conservation Reserve that show all aspects of the conservation area.

The Seymour Salmonid Society has spawned a net site. Information will be updated monthly.