Media releases
Restoration of five hectares of marine habitat on the North Shore soon underway
Port authority-led Maplewood Marine Restoration Project to create habitat for juvenile salmon and other wildlife in Burrard Inlet
This summer, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority will begin construction to restore approximately five hectares of what is currently low-value marine habitat into higher-value intertidal mudflat, eelgrass and rock reef habitat in North Vancouver.
The project is part of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s Habitat Enhancement Program, an initiative through which the port authority creates, restores and enhances fish and wildlife habitat. The program, formalized through an agreement with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, is intended to directly offset effects to fish and fish habitat as a result of port development.
The majority of the marine habitat area restored at the project site will be used to offset fish habitat expected to be affected by the Centerm Expansion Project currently under construction and being built to help meet anticipated near-term demand for containers shipped through the Port of Vancouver.
“The Maplewood Marine Restoration Project is a great opportunity for us to restore an ecologically important area of Burrard Inlet and provide long-term benefits for fish, birds and other wildlife,” said Charlotte Olson, manager, infrastructure habitat development at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.
The marine restoration project site is located south of the Maplewood Flats Conservation Area within a deep water lot basin, which is up to nine metres deep and was dredged in the 1940s to support a gravel extraction business and later used as a log storage area.
The location for the project was identified as a restoration priority for the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and was influenced by additional input from other Indigenous groups. Last fall, the port authority invited stakeholders and the public to learn more about, and provide feedback on, the project. All input was reviewed and considered as part of final project design, and the port authority continues to work closely with Indigenous groups and engage stakeholders and regulators.
The habitat restoration will create a subtidal rock reef, eelgrass beds, and an intertidal mudflat with the intention to support a variety of wildlife including juvenile salmon and Dungeness crab.
For more information about the Maplewood Marine Restoration Project, please visit portvancouver.com/Maplewood
About Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is responsible for the stewardship of the federal port lands in and around Vancouver, British Columbia. It is financially self-sufficient and accountable to the federal minister of transport and operates pursuant to the Canada Marine Act. The Port of Vancouver is Canada’s largest, and the third largest in North America by tonnes of cargo, facilitating trade between Canada and more than 170 world economies. Located in a naturally beautiful setting on Canada’s west coast, the port authority and port terminals and tenants are responsible for the efficient and reliable movement of goods and passengers, integrating environmental, social and economic sustainability initiatives into all areas of port operations. Enabling the trade of approximately $240 billion in goods, port activities sustain 115,300 jobs, $7 billion in wages, and $11.9 billion in GDP across Canada.
Media contact:
Danielle Jang
Media Relations Advisor
604.340.8617
[email protected]
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