The Government of Canada is working with partners to protect aquatic species at risk in the Arctic, Manitoba, and Alberta

WINNIPEG, MB, Nov. 25, 2020 /CNW/ - The health of our marine and freshwater environment and the wildlife it sustains are critical to our country's culture, well-being, and the economy. Yet some of the species that find their home in the waters, rivers, lakes, estuaries, and marshes in the Arctic, Manitoba, and Alberta are at risk due to climate change, habitat loss and other factors. The Government of Canada is taking action not only to protect these species, but to actively rebuild their populations.  

Today, Canada's Northern Affairs Minister and Member of Parliament for Saint Boniface – Saint Vital, the Honourable Dan Vandal, on behalf of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Bernadette Jordan, announced almost $6.1 million in funding under the Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk for three projects in the North, Manitoba and Alberta, some of which are already underway.

The funding will support various projects already underway including: the monitoring of threats to Bowhead Whales; the protection and recovery of native trout species in Alberta; and assessing the status of species in the upper Assiniboine & lower Qu'Appelle Rivers.

Through this fund, established under the Nature Legacy initiative, the Government of Canada is helping to build a culture of conservation that empowers Canadian organizations to work together to protect our natural environments. This fund is taking an ecosystem approach to restoring and protecting aquatic species. Instead of targeting specific species, these projects aim to improve a priority place or a priority threat. This broader approach looks at improving the entire ecosystem – from the specific species at risk, the habitat they call home, as well as other species in the area.  

The Government of Canada established the historic $1.3 billion Nature Legacy Initiative in Budget 2018. The five-year, $55 million Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk supports a new approach to the conservation of aquatic species through targeted federal investments in priority places and to address priority threats to aquatic species at risk. The Fund makes it possible to support protection and recovery efforts by all partners, and support Indigenous capacity to conserve aquatic ecosystems and species.

Quotes

"With nearly two million lakes, endless connected waterways, and the longest coastline in the world, Canada is home to countless marine and freshwater species and habitats that breathe life into our environment. Our government is taking strong, consistent action to protect these species and revitalize the ecosystems they depend on – because when nature thrives, our communities thrive. By making targeted investments through Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk, we are able to collaborate with Indigenous peoples and environmental organizations on projects that have the greatest potential to make a lasting impact on our natural environments." 

The Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

"Our waterways in Manitoba, Alberta, and the North not only create a special natural aquatic environment, but they are also home to numerous aquatic species at risk. Through the Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk, the Government of Canada will work with Manitoba Agriculture and Resource  Development, Alberta Environment and Parks; Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, and the Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada, to protect and recover aquatic species at risk and their habitats."

The Honourable Daniel Vandal, Canada's Northern Affairs Minister and Member of Parliament for Saint Boniface – Saint Vital

Quick Facts

• Projects funded under the Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk focus on two marine priority threats and seven priority areas.
  
  
• The two marine priority threats are:
  • Fishing interactions (includes entanglement and bycatch of aquatic species at risk)
  • Physical and acoustic disturbance (includes vessel collisions and marine noise)
    
    
• The seven freshwater priority areas are:
  • Fraser and Columbia Watersheds Priority Area (British Columbia)
  • Rocky Mountains' Eastern Slopes Priority Area (Alberta)
  • Southern Prairies Priority Area (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba)
  • Lower Great Lakes Watershed Priority Area (Ontario)
  • St. Lawrence Lowlands Priority Area (Quebec)
  • Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Rivers Priority Area (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island)
  • Bay of Fundy and Southern Uplands Watersheds Priority Area (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick)

Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk- Arctic, Manitoba, and Alberta Projects

Backgrounder

As part of the Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk, Fisheries and Oceans Canada is providing up to $6.1 million in funding to support four projects to help restore and protect aquatic ecosystems in the Arctic, Manitoba and Alberta.

Arctic

Fishing Interactions / Physical and Acoustic Disturbance Priority Threats

• The Wildlife Conservation Society Canada will receive up to $1,118,491 for assessing and managing acoustic disturbance to Bowhead whales. The research project is on passive acoustic monitoring for Bowhead whales, acoustic tags, and model development.

Manitoba

Southern Prairies Priority Area

• Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development will receive up to $370,000 for a research project to continue monitoring acoustically tagged Lake Sturgeon that had been stocked (in 2015) into the Assiniboine River. They will also seek out Bigmouth Buffalo in this river system and investigate ox-bows for spawning and nursery habitat.

Alberta

Rocky Mountains' Eastern Slopes Priority Area

• Alberta Environment and Parks will receive up to $5,624,536 over five years for multi-species, multi-partner, stewardship implementation with research supporting the protection and recovery of native trout species in Alberta.

Associated Links

• Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk
• Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk – Priority Places and Threats
• Canada's Nature Legacy
• Canada Nature Fund
• Species at Risk Act

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SOURCE Fisheries and Oceans Central & Arctic Region

Jane Deeks, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, 343-550-9594, [email protected]; Media Relations, Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, 613-990-7537, [email protected]