Friday, February 04, 2005

St. Andrews…The Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) is very optimistic that the federal budget will provide new funding to support conservation and restoration of wild Atlantic salmon. “I have been receiving indications from various sources that a $50 million Atlantic Salmon Endowment Program is a real possibility, and it’s good to have the reinforcing report that appeared in New Brunswick’s Telegraph Journal today”, said Bill Taylor, President of ASF.

“We are most pleased with the leadership of Atlantic and Quebec MPs and the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Geoff Regan in this endeavour. MPs Andy Savoy and Charles Hubbard have led the charge in New Brunswick,” continued Mr. Taylor. “ASF’s Regional Councils and affiliated river associations have made an outstanding effort to work with their local MPs and have written many letters in support of additional funding to bolster their own efforts to restore wild Atlantic salmon and their habitat.”

“We will continue to push until February 23, when the budget is delivered, and hope that Finance Minister Ralph Goodale will follow through on the groundswell of support that has materialized for conserving wild Atlantic salmon,” promised Mr. Taylor. “The money invested will be paid back in the long-term from the benefits of a vibrant recreational fishery that depends on healthy populations of salmon and a pristine environment. The $200 million that the recreational salmon fishery now provides to Canada’s economy will increase even further as wild Atlantic salmon populations become healthier.”

“There will never be a better time for an infusion of federal money,” concluded Mr. Taylor. “The decline in runs of wild Atlantic salmon to Canada has been curbed in the last couple of years, thanks to a conservation agreement, negotiated and funded by ASF and our partners, that suspended the commercial harvest of Canadian salmon on their feeding grounds off the coast of Greenland. Government action will help boost these restoration beginnings. The funding will support the tireless efforts of volunteers, who work on the riverbanks and in their communities to protect salmon and enhance the environment that Canadians share with salmon.”

The Atlantic Salmon Federation is an international, non-profit organization that promotes the conservation and wise management of the wild Atlantic salmon and its environment. ASF has a network of seven regional councils (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Maine and New England) which have a membership of more than 150 river associations and 40,000 volunteers. The regional councils cover the freshwater range of the Atlantic salmon in Canada and the United States.

Contact:

Sue Scott

Vice President - Communications

506 529-1027 or 506 529-4581

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