The federal government is spending $412.9 million over five years to renew the Pacific Salmon Strategy in a plan to protect and rebuild the wild populations.

Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson made the announcement in North Vancouver today, saying in a statement that the first five years of the initiative has shown what is possible when partners work together to restore habitat, expand hatchery programs, improve management and find new ways to protect vulnerable stocks.

The department says two dozen wild Pacific salmon populations have been assessed as endangered, 10 as threatened and nine are listed as being of special concern.

The salmon initiative was first launched in 2021, allowing collaboration with the B.C. and Yukon governments, Indigenous Peoples, harvesters, scientists, environmental and stewardship groups and communities along the West Coast.

The department’s statement says those partnerships have been central in restoring salmon habitat, fighting illegal fisheries and modernizing or building more than 70 hatcheries.

Thompson says challenges for Pacific salmon are far from over, but the renewal of the initiative means the government is committed to the next chapter of work, “driven by the shared responsibility to protect salmon for generations to come.”