Funding Announced for Six New Habitat Conservation Projects

Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Regional Minister for PEI and MP for Egmont, highlighted today the Harper Government’s new investment in six habitat conservation projects in PEI.

Through the Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program (RFCPP), the following six groups will receive up to $342,217 to support the conservation of fish habitat in Prince Edward Island: the Bedeque Bay Environmental Management Association, the Souris & Area Branch of the P.E.I. Wildlife Federation, the Winter River–Tracadie Bay Watershed Association, the Morell River Management Co-operative, the Central Queens Branch of the PEI Wildlife Federation, and the South Shore Watershed Association.

Nearly 30 community-based conservation projects involving hundreds of volunteers across PEI have benefitted from more than $1.2 million in support from RFCPP since it was created in 2013.

The work includes:

• A project by the Bedeque Bay Environmental Management Association aimed at improving fish passage for both recreational and commercial fish species.
• Work by the Souris & Area Branch of the P.E.I. Wildlife Federation to enhance recreational fisheries habitat for Hay River, Cow River, East Lake Creek, Mill Creek, Souris River and Fortune River.
• A Winter River–Tracadie Bay Watershed Association project to reduce water extraction from the Winter River watershed, enhance cold water springs, and improve fish access.
• A Morell River Management Co-operative project for recreational fish species (Atlantic salmon, brook trout, smelts and alewives) in the watersheds of Bristol Creek, Morell River, Midgell River and St. Peters River.
• Work by the Central Queens Branch of the PEI Wildlife Federation targeting key habitat elements required by brook trout.
• The restoration of the South Shore Watershed Association’s fish passage at two locations of the South Shore River.

Part of the National Conservation Plan, the RFCPP was created in 2013 to restore Canada’s recreational fisheries habitat and to support the sustainability and ongoing productivity of our recreational fisheries. The program proved immediately successful, prompting the Harper Government to increase its investment through Economic Action Plans 2014 and 2015 to a total of $55 million until 2018-2019.