New center for salmon studies in New Brunswick

Tor-Eddie Fossbakk The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) announced that the Centre for Excellence for Atlantic Salmon Studies officially opened Wednesday last week just outside Miramichi. The research centre will focus on salmon breeding and survival, but it will also look into the effects of climate change. The new, two-storey building is part of the Miramichi Salmon Conservation Centre property in South Esk. It features offices, a boardroom, tank room, laboratory and an apartment for visiting researchers. The federal Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) invested CAD 1.5 million in the project. This investment was matched by the province which contributed CAD 110,000 and the Miramichi Salmon Association added another CAD 110,000. The Miramichi Salmon Conservation Centre (MSCC) is the oldest operating Atlantic salmon hatchery in Canada. Located in South Esk, New Brunswick, the facility is only 5km west of the City of Miramichi. The first buildings and ponds were constructed in 1873 and Atlantic salmon eggs were collected for incubation that year. The MSCC has operated continuously since that time growing both speckled trout and Atlantic salmon.