Published on: June 16, 2017
Following our previous blog post about the reconstruction of a local salmon stream, most of you are probably unaware of some dramatic events that have been going on with the Salmon in the Classroom Project.
On May 26th 2017, we were informed that the Salmon in the Classroom Project was being shutdown by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). This amazing program has been around for decades, and provides B.C. children, lucky enough to have the salmon project in their school/class – like those at Pear Tree Elementary – with the hands-on opportunity to learn about salmon: their lifecycle, their habitat, and their importance for the ecosystem.
Did any Vancouver news outlets cover this story? Of course not. However, the Prince George Citizen newspaper did.
Teachers and students across British Columbia, including Pear Tree, petitioned and posted social media protests at the program shutdown.
On June 6th, the DFO announced that the program would have a 1-year “reprieve”, i.e. you have one last opportunity – again not covered by any Vancouver newspapers. Here’s the story about that, though.
Today (June 16th), the DFO finally bowed down to the pressure imposed upon them by schools: https://www.thenorthernview.com/news/dfo-restores-cuts-to-salmon-school-program/.
Pear Tree has participated in the Salmon in the Classroom project since 2012. During that time, we have raised and released over 300 Coho salmon eggs. We are delighted to be able to continue to participate in this!