NEWS  What is happening in our community.

Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation funds two PEI projects in first round of grants

June 25, 2008, Moncton, NB • - Work to conserve wild Atlantic salmon stocks in Prince Edward Island got a $50,000 boost today when the new Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation (ASCF) announced its first round of successful grant applications. Two Island projects were among the 21 to be funded, which included five in Newfoundland-Labrador, four in Nova Scotia, four in New Brunswick, five in Quebec and one region-wide proposal.

The total value of grants awarded by the Foundation is $275,150.

"The Foundation is very excited to recognize the first group of applicants to have received funding," ASCF Chair Honourable Rùmi Bujold said at the announcement. Some 50 applications were submitted by conservation, environmental, sports angling and Aboriginal groups in Atlantic Canada and Quebec.

The Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation is a volunteer, non-profit, charitable organization established with the goal of helping to achieve healthy and sustainable wild Atlantic salmon stocks in Atlantic Canada and Quùbec. Funded with a start-up grant of $30 million from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Foundation has created a trust fund to promote and strengthen partnerships among groups working to conserve wild Atlantic salmon. Conservation projects and program administration are financed from interest earned by the trust fund.

Applications submitted for this first round of grants were assessed and selected by the Foundation's five provincial advisory committees and its Central Advisory Committee. Each province was allocated $50,000 to distribute.

The $50,000 awarded in Prince Edward Island includes the largest single grant awarded by the Foundation. The Prince Edward Island Council of the Atlantic Salmon Federation was awarded $44,500 to develop an Atlantic Salmon Management Strategy for the Island.

"This is a very significant project," said Paul Michael, a member of the Foundation's PEI Advisory Council. "Wild Atlantic salmon was once plentiful in PEI rivers, but the stock has declined dramatically in the past couple of decades. An overall strategy for the restoration of Atlantic salmon on the Island is the first and most important step in ensuring that future efforts are directed to areas which will yield the greatest long-term benefit."

The other successful project in PEI was submitted by the Prince County Chapter of Trout Unlimited, which received $5,500 for its Trout River Watershed Planning Project.

"When the Foundation was established our goal was to fund high-quality initiatives focused on strengthening conservation of wild Atlantic salmon and salmon habitat," said the Hon. Remi Bujold. "All of us involved with ASCF were very impressed with the quality and quantity of applications we received. This shows that there is widespread and active interest in, and commitment to, conservation of the wild Atlantic salmon in Eastern Canada. The work these first-funded groups plan over the next year is sure to go a long way in assuring a bright future for this signature Atlantic resource.

Work on the spring 2008 projects will begin immediately, since all involve extensive work in the field. Meanwhile, preparation for the next round of applications has already begun.

"We are already encouraging all groups interested in preserving and restoring wild Atlantic stocks in their area to apply for grants next year," said Mr. Bujold. The next round of applications grants will open on 1 November 2008.

For more information on the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation please visit the website at www.salmonconservation.ca.