The Nez Perce Tribe's Mahogany Creek culvert replacement project was partially funded by the PSC's Southern Fund.

Introduction

In June of 1999, the United States and Canada reached a comprehensive new agreement (the “1999 Agreement”) under the 1985 Pacific Salmon Treaty. Among other provisions, the 1999 Agreement established two bilateral funds: the Northern Boundary and Transboundary Rivers Restoration and Enhancement Fund (Northern Fund); and the Southern Boundary Restoration and Enhancement Fund (Southern Fund). The purpose of the two funds is to support activities in both countries that develop improved information for resource management, rehabilitate and restore marine and freshwater habitat, and enhance wild stock production through low technology techniques. The United States agreed to capitalize the Northern and Southern funds in the amounts of US$75 million and US$65 million, respectively. In addition to the amounts contributed by the United States, Canada contributed $250,000 (CDN) to each of the two funds (total of $500,000 CDN).

Tribal/CRITFC projects funded by the PSC Southern Fund FY2004-2008 (3.2 MB)

Southern Fund Vision
The Southern Fund Committee envisions a vibrant Pacific salmon resource supporting healthy fisheries in Canada and the United States, managed within a scientifically sound framework based on bilateral cooperation, efficiency and long-term sustainability.

Southern Fund Guidelines
The Southern Fund shall be constituted by a grant of $65 million USD to be provided by the United States, subject to the obtaining of specific legislative authority and the availability of funds. Either Party may make additional contributions to the Fund. Contributions to the Southern Fund by a third party may be made with the agreement of the Parties.
The Southern Fund shall be held by the Pacific Salmon Commission pursuant to the Pacific Salmon Commission bylaws and invested in accordance with the terms of a “Trust Agreement” to be drawn up by the Parties.

The Southern Fund shall be administered by a Southern Fund Committee, composed of 3 representatives appointed by the Government of Canada and 3 representatives appointed by the Government of the United States, which will be responsible for the approval of expenditure of moneys from the Southern Fund. Expenditures shall not exceed the earnings from the invested principal of the Southern Fund. The cost of administering the Southern Fund shall be drawn from the income of the Southern Fund.

The Southern Fund Committee shall develop procedures for the acceptance, review, evaluation and approval of proposals for the use of the income of the Southern Fund.
Monies from the Southern Fund shall be disbursed by the Pacific Salmon Commission at the direction of the Southern Fund Committee. No funds may be disbursed from the Southern Fund after the expiration of the fishery arrangements in Chapters 3 to 6, inclusively, of Annex IV of the Pacific Salmon Treaty until new fishing arrangements are agreed by the Parties.

In the event that the above provisions relating to the Southern Fund, or the Pacific Salmon Treaty, are terminated, all monies in the Southern Fund shall, subject to the provisions of the Trust Agreement, revert back to the Party that contributed those monies. Any investment income earned up to the date of reversion shall be distributed to the Parties in proportion to their contribution.

Southern Fund Principals
The following principals guide the Southern Fund Committee in achieving their mandate:

• Conservation: projects should contribute to the protection, maintenance, and rehabilitation of Pacific salmon resources and their habitats to ensure ecosystem sustainability and biodiversity.
• Relevance: projects should contribute to the implementation of the Pacific Salmon Treaty.
• Partnerships: collaborative projects that foster a broader sense of stewardship and increase the benefits of the Fund are encouraged.
• Comprehensiveness: projects contributing to multiple objectives are encouraged.
• Technical Merit: projects should be designed and conducted in accordance with sound scientific principals.
• Efficiency: projects should provide the greatest long-term benefits to the resource for the dollars spent.
• Effectiveness: projects should achieve measurable results.
• Mutual Benefit: in the long-term, the fund should provide equitable benefits to the Parties.

Geographic Area Covered
The geographic area for the Southern Fund shall be southern British Columbia, the States of Washington and Oregon, and the Snake River Basin in Idaho. Southern British Columbia in this context means the geographic area covered by those watersheds flowing into the Pacific Ocean south of Cape Caution, including the entire Fraser River watershed and the Columbia River watershed in British Columbia.

Strategic Objectives
The Southern Fund shall be employed as a long-term and stable monetary base that supports efforts to conserve and enhance Pacific salmon populations. The strategic objectives of the Southern Fund are as follows:

1. To acquire data which improves the ability to manage the Pacific salmon resource and helps achieve the goals of the Pacific Salmon Treaty, the Southern Fund Committee will support projects that include but are not limited to: • developing a better understanding of and identification of, those factors that limit or restrict salmon production in either freshwater or the marine environment.

• acquiring information that could aid in overcoming those factors that limit or restrict salmon production in either freshwater or marine environments.
• improving the Parties ability to better manage the stocks and fisheries in the region (e.g. by developing methods: to more accurately estimate in-season run sizes; to improve stock assessment capability; to acquire necessary information in a more timely fashion).

2. Recognizing that protection and restoration of salmon habitat and maintenance of adequate water quality and quantity are vital to achieving improved spawning success, safe passage of adult and juvenile salmon and therefore, optimum production of important naturally spawning stocks; the Southern Fund Committee will support projects that are designed to:

• restore or rehabilitate salmon producing freshwater or marine habitats
• enhance or improve the productivity of salmon habitat, either freshwater or marine
• conserve such habitat and it’s capacity to produce salmon.

3. Recognizing that a carefully designed enhancement program would contribute significantly to the restoration of depressed natural stocks and assist the Parties in achieving optimum production; the Southern Fund Committee will support projects that are designed to:

• enhance the productivity of specific stocks of “wild” salmon through artificial propagation and are not dependent upon large artificial propagation facilities over the long term.