Fish, tourism and education: Quatse Salmon Stewardship Center

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the 6th BC Rural Summit in Port Hardy - one of my favorite areas of BC. The Rural Summit gathers people from rural communities across the province to share ideas and network. If you haven't been to one, think about attending next year.

I was particularly impressed with the wine and cheese on the first night of the conference which took place at the Quatse Salmon Stewardship Center. The Center opened on September 20, 2009 and includes an interpretive gallery, labs, classroom and hatchery production facilities. It is located just out of Port Hardy in a beautiful setting which also has a campground facility.

I have been to many hatcheries throughout the province but have never seen one quite like this. The Center was designed with education in mind and to me, it illustrates how tourism can be linked in with other industries like fishing, but also to education. The outcome is that visitors are provided with a unique learning experience that introduces them to the natural and cultural heritage of an area. At the same time, numerous other wins take place - residents can take pride in their efforts to protect and promote their natural amenities and they can also take advantage of a new community facility.

This Quatse Salmon Stewardship Center was well designed to maximize interaction with the surroundings and to facilitate learning. Outside, there are well marked trails to navigate visitors around, and it is easy to locate the facilities on site. Inside, the layout of the center allows for growth and expansion, interactive exhibits on fish, and at the same time - it leaves space for community events such as the wine and cheese. There is a large meeting room area and kitchen which will enable community groups to book the facility and bring people in on multiple occasions. We spoke with Chris Stone, a Fisheries Technician with the Center who indicated that Phase two will expand on the exhibits and include a small movie theatre that provides visuals of fish throughout their life cycle as well.

I was very impressed with the facility and the efforts of all the partners that brought the idea into reality. It is worth a visit and for other communities that are thinking about how to link tourism and education to your natural heritage, take some notes from the work being done here. Best of success.