The Quatse Salmon Stewardship Centre was completed in 2009, by the North Vancouver Island Salmonid Enhancement Association with support from the Island Coastal Economic Trust. The site is located on a popular route with international visitors travelling to the North Island and North Coast for wildlife viewing. It had the potential to attract more visitors with the development of interpretive and interactive displays designed to provide a world-class visitor experience.
This phase of the project resulted in the completion of a mini-theatre, as well as Ocean Survival, Redd Challenge and Enhancement Game interactive displays. Visitors can now engage with the interpretive gallery to explore salmon, their cultural importance, their relationship to the environment and the issues facing salmonid populations on northern Vancouver Island. The project also included enhanced promotion and marketing efforts to draw visitors from around the world.
The completed facility and displays have attracted the attention of tour operators from Germany, the US, Australia and Japan and the Centre is now a significant tourism attractor for the North Island. Benefits to the region include extended visitor stays and improved visitation numbers during the shoulder seasons.
Island Coastal Economic Trust approved funding for this project in 2011 through the Capital and Innovation program.
We work in reciprocal relationships with coastal communities across the ancestral territories of the Kwak̓wala, Nuučaan̓uɫ, Éy7á7juuthem, Ligwilda'xw, Pəntl'áč, She shashishalhem, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Hul’q’umi’num’, diitiidʔaatx̣, SENĆOŦEN, Lekwungen, and T’Sou-ke speaking peoples.