The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honorable Diane Lebouthillier, Nuxalk Nation, and Ingenium (Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation), announced the official opening of the new Welcome Centre at Snootli Creek Hatchery. The opening marks the completion of a seven-year major project to refurbish and modernize infrastructure and fish culture systems at the Snootli Creek Hatchery facility. Built in 1978, the facility has been in operation for more than 35 years and needed significant renewal to extend its operational life and enable more efficient and effective operations.

The new Welcome Centre is a key element of the refurbished hatchery and will help to educate and engage the local community and visitors about enhancement, the role of hatcheries in the ongoing effort to protect and support this iconic species, and the shared responsibility of all in the stewardship of healthy habitats and ecosystems. 

The Centre features dynamic and interactive displays written in three languages: Nuxalk, English, and French, to highlight the importance of salmon to Nuxalk people and affirm their deep and historic connection to salmon and rivers in their traditional territory. The Hatchery also serves as a focal point for salmon education and watershed stewardship in the area through its work with the Nation, volunteers, streamkeepers, schools, and community partners in helping to support the protection of the Bella Coola Valley’s unique cultural and natural heritage.

“This project is a step forward in honoring Nuxalk knowledge, language, and culture and shows us how much we can accomplish when we work together in a truly inclusive way. For Nuxalk, protecting our salmon is akin to protecting our way of life, and this common vision has united us all to care for and preserve our salmon for our Putl’lt, those yet unborn. This Welcome Centre will help inform both visitors and locals and inspire students about the role Nuxalkmc have always played in the stewardship of our salmon, and how this hatchery and its personnel are helping to continue this important work,” commented Dr. Snxakila (Clyde) Tallio, Cultural Director, Nuxalk Nation.

Quick Facts

• The Hatchery is located on the lands of the Nuxalk Peoples, 12 kilometers east of Bella Coola, at the head of the North Bentinck Arm on B.C.’s central coast.
• The Hatchery enhances chum, Chinook, sockeye, and coho salmon.
• Hatchery staff have a long history of working with external initiatives to provide facilities and guidance for projects around the B.C. Central Coast.
• Pacific salmon hatcheries, under DFO’s Salmonid Enhancement Program (SEP), have a key role to play under the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI) in supporting vulnerable salmon stocks; with our Reconciliation journey with Indigenous communities; with our partnerships with community groups and coastal areas; in lessening the impacts of recreational and commercial fishing on wild salmon populations by providing targeted harvest opportunities to reduce impacts on vulnerable salmon stocks, and in supporting regional and international stock assessment programs.
• The Snootli Creek Hatchery is one of 23 major salmon hatcheries and spawning channels operated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
• While the planning for the Snootli Creek Hatchery rebuilding project predates the PSSI, the refurbished facility will be an important resource supporting this transformative initiative.