Special designation for Harrison

The Harrison River has been designated the first Canadian "Salmon Stronghold" under a program spearheaded by the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council (PFRCC).

The North American Salmon Stronghold Partnership was been set up to give special attention to the healthiest and most productive salmon rivers while also continuing to restore damaged streams.

"With the scientific analysis complete, we can now begin taking a proactive approach to protect salmon habitats and realize the potential of the Harrison River as a Salmon Stronghold," said Mark Angelo, chair of the PFRCC in a press release. "Canada originated the idea of Strongholds a decade ago, and it's exciting to see it finally implemented here after seeing much success in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. We believe that the Salmon Stronghold concept offers a new proactive vision for wild salmon conservation."

A particular focus of the Harrison Salmon Stronghold will be the purchase of land or property-rights arrangements (i.e. covenants, set-asides) at the landscape level with the intent of protecting areas of special significance for salmon.The PFRCC is working closely with its partners--the Rivers Institute at BCIT, the Chehalis First Nation, the Nature Trust, and the Portland, Oregon-based Wild Salmon Center--to actively protect the important wild salmon habitats on the Harrison River.

The Harrison Stronghold area sustains healthy populations of all five species of salmon as well as steelhead. The salmon habitat in the Harrison Basin is an example of a crucial salmon system that faces industrial and urbanization pressures.

http://www2.canada.com/chilliwacktimes/news/story.html?id=d09b2992-2d9e-4967-8fc6-870acf20864b