Federal investments supporting water species recovery and protections in the Okanagan

The Canadian Government has committed funding for aquatic species conservation and recovery efforts in the Okanagan and B.C.

Through the Canadian Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (CNFASAR), the federal government will provide a total of nearly $4.8-million to support 10 projects aimed at conservation and species recovery work.

Included in those investments are two based in the Okanagan:

• Okanagan Nation Alliance: $499,787 to decommission the Equesis (6 mile) Dam and restore an incised section of creek between the dam and Okanagan Lake to benefit Chinook salmon and Rockey Mountain Ridged Mussels
• McEachran Institute: $147,000 to learn about the distribution and habitat requirements of Rockey Mountain Ridged Mussels in the Okanagan basin, and Speckled Dace in the Kettle Valley watershed, to understand how these species respond to climate change and other threats

Other investments include $980,000 for Phase 2 of the B.C. Hydrophone Network in the North Coast area; $896,450 to the Canadian Wildlife Federation to reduce entanglement of whales with fixed-gear fishery equipment; and $797,236 to the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship to collaborate with Indigenous communities to mitigate known and emerging threats from aquatic invasive species.