DFO launches program to assist sockeye
salmon with poor visual acuity
Fisheries and Oceans Canada Pacifi c Region announced a
pilot program today that will assist sockeye salmon with poor visual
acuity as they travel up the Fraser River to their spawning habitat. The
four million dollar program, called “Specs for Salmon”, will provide
corrective lenses to sockeye in need.
B.C. Interior Area Chief of Resource Management Les Jantz
has high hopes for the SFS program. “As a wearer of glasses myself,
I can sympathize with sockeye who have, until now, been forced to
make their arduous journey up the Fraser River with blurry vision. The
DFO staff is confi dent that the SFS initiative will go a long way in
helping to make their journey a little easier – not to mention stylish,
with the latest frames in a variety of shapes and colors,” he said.
For its fi rst year, the program will focus specifi cally on
sockeye. “Their hooked noses make it easier to keep the glasses on,”
Jantz said. “We tried it with Chinook salmon too, but the glasses just
kept slipping off.” With further experimentation planned for spring
2011, DFO hopes to expand the program to include contact lenses for
Chinook salmon next year.
DFO is encouraging British Columbians to support the SFS
program by donating their old glasses. “There is a demand for children’s
glasses in particular,” said Jantz, “as the smaller frames provide a snug
and comfortable fi t for sockeye.”
For more information about the Specs for Salmon program,
visit the DFO website at www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca.