Strategic Enhancement: $2.2 million in 99/00 — $3.6 million to date
Funding for the Strategic Stock Enhancement Program (SSEP) under
PFAR continues until 2003. This program continues to address

serious conservation concerns for endangered stocks, using fish

culture and salmon hatcheries, with partners including local First
Nations, community groups and industry.

The intent of strategic stock enhancement is to arrest
the decline of endangered stocks so they can rebuild
when ocean conditions improve. The fish culture
activities are short-term and designed specifically to
maintain individual stock integrity and genetic
diversity. Strategic enhancement is designed for
conservation, not to support or supplement fisheries.
SSEP must be coupled with harvest management
restrictions and habitat protection.

On the Thompson River, existing enhancement
efforts have been continued on coho stocks for the
Coldwater and Deadman rivers and Spius, Louis,
Lemieux, and Dunn creeks. New strategic
enhancement efforts were started on other coho
stocks from the Bridge, Eagle and Middle Shuswap
rivers and Duteau Creek.

On the Upper Skeena, existing enhancement efforts
have been continued on coho stocks for the Upper Bulkley, Kispiox
and Babine rivers and Toboggan Creek. New strategic enhancement
efforts were started on other coho stocks from the Upper Bulkley,
Morice and Upper Owen Creek and the Morrison River, a tributary to
Babine Lake.

For Puntledge River summer chinook, a captive breeding program
was begun in 1998. Three brood years (1997, 1998 and 1999) are
now being reared to maturity at Rosewall Creek Hatchery. These fish
will start to yield eggs in the fall of 2000, with a target of one million
eggs per year.

Pacific Salmon Endowment Fund

Development of the $30 million fund has been progressing. The fund
will complement other components of Resource Rebuilding by
providing a stable, long-term source of funding for community
projects that restore and protect habitat, improve watershed
stewardship and enhance salmon stocks. Further progress on the
fund will be announced in 2000/01.