On Wednesday, Rob Bell-Irving from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans brought 100 thousand 'eyed' Pink salmon eggs to the Bowen Island Fish Hatchery.
"Until now, we really haven't had enough Pink eggs to be able to give them away," said Bell-Irving. "These come from the Tenderfoot Hatchery in Squamish, and the last really great Pink salmon year in Squamish was in the late 1960s. We've been working since the 1990s to replenish our stocks, and this year we've seen real success with both a commercial fishery and sport fishery for Pink salmon in Howe Sound.
Bell-Irving says Bowen's lagoon should make it possible for Pinks to successfully spawn here.
"Pinks come back earlier in the season than other salmon, so there are many small rivers and streams that are just too dry. There's likely to be water in the lagoon in August, so that should result in a successful spawning of the Pinks."
Islanders can start looking for the return of these salmon in late summer of 2015.
