Government of Canada and Gitanyow First Nation advance construction to build new Kitwanga River hatchery for Skeena sockeye

Hatcheries play a vital role in efforts to conserve and rebuild vulnerable Pacific salmon populations while strengthening the social, cultural, and economic fabric of the communities they serve.

Gitanyow, British Columbia – Hatcheries play a vital role in efforts to conserve and rebuild vulnerable Pacific salmon populations while strengthening the social, cultural, and economic fabric of the communities they serve.

Today, the Honourable Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries, in partnership with Gitanyow Nation, announced the award of a general construction contract valued at over $7.5 million to Progressive Ventures Construction, marking the next phase of development for the Wilp’Ho Dix Hatchery.

This facility will be located on the Kitwanga River, a tributary of the Skeena River in northwestern portion of the province. It will be built by the Government of Canada and operated in partnership with the Gitanyow First Nation. The hatchery will raise Kitwanga River sockeye salmon, a stock of significant conservation concern that is of profound cultural importance to the Gitanyow Nation and an important component of the broader Skeena River sockeye salmon population.

The project will consist of a hatchery building, a rearing tank farm, aeration tower and supporting infrastructure, including underground water supplies and roadways. A sustainable, energy-efficient fish culture system will allow for the treatment and reuse of some of the water used during the incubation stage. The facility will have the capacity to raise 300,000 juvenile sockeye salmon, with the potential to expand to up to 400,000 in the future.