Paper Excellence is delighted to share the successes that our partner, Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF), has accomplished in the past year. We value the work PSF does to preserve salmon habitat and restore the salmon population because it supports our commitment to protecting freshwater and marine ecosystems. One of their recent projects is the creation of new salmon habitats in Northern B.C. by the Kitsumkalum Band. Read PSF’s project update below:

New Salmon Habitat in Northern B.C. by the Kitsumkalum Band

In 2019, the Kitsumkalum Band observed juvenile salmon swimming into isolated ponds near the Skeena River during high water. As the water went down, the fish stayed trapped. Every year since, Kitsumkalum community members have salvaged roughly 3,000 stranded juvenile coho from ponds in the Exchamsiks River Protected Area, located between Terrace and Prince Rupert.

With support from the Pacific Salmon Foundation in 2023, and in collaboration with the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund and other partners, the Kitsumkalum Band has created a new stream channel to connect a pond to the Exchamsiks River and prevent further stranding.

“Restoring fish habitat along the Skeena River – in this case, at the Exchamsiks Restoration Project – is important for all First Nations, as well as recreational and commercial fishers,” says Tammy Roberts, Fish and Wildlife Program Administrator for the Kitsumkalum Band. “It has been great to see the success of this project through the collaboration of many people and partners.”

 Pacific Salmon Foundation is a nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to the conservation and restoration of wild Pacific salmon and their habitats in British Columbia and the Yukon. They work with all members of the ‘salmon community’ to advance the collective efforts, promote awareness of this keystone species, and guide the sustainable future of wild Pacific salmon and their habitat. As a vocal advocate for salmon, PSF helps action priorities that support the conservation of this vital ecological resource.

Learn more about Paper Excellence’s support of the Pacific Salmon Foundation:

• Paper Excellence donates $50,000 to the Pacific Salmon Foundation – Paper Excellence Group
• Paper Excellence Canada contributes $100,000 to advance salmon restoration across B.C. – Paper Excellence Group
• Championing change for salmon habitat restoration – Paper Excellence Group
• Reviving our Local Salmon Habitat in North Vancouver – Paper Excellence Group

• Pacific Salmon Foundation Update – Hatchery Upgrades at Chapman Creek on the Sunshine Coast
• Pacific Salmon Foundation Update – Monitoring Key Salmon Indicators with Citizen Science at Pender Harbour
• Pacific Salmon Foundation Update – Habitat Restoration in Somenos Creek, Cowichan Valley