After being given the best start in life possible, it’s now up to fate to see how many salmon return to the waters of Bowen Island in the next few years.
In late April, volunteers with the Bowen Island Fish and Wildlife Club released 99,000 chum fry into the island’s creeks, followed by 19,750 coho fry a month later.
The tiny fish — the chum fry weighed 1.2 grams each; the coho weighed 2.5 grams — had been carefully nurtured since their arrival from the Tenderfoot Hatchery last winter.
It was the first year that the seven volunteers had been trained in new procedures in incubation, ponding, rearing and release, set out by the Fisheries and Oceans Community Involvement Program Best Management Practices.
As well, biosecurity measures were implemented to ensure the release of only healthy fry.
Each volunteer dedicated one day a week to hatchery responsibilities and, as a result, there was a very low mortality rate of approximately one per cent.
The coho benefitted from warming water in the final three weeks of hatchery rearing, increasing their feeding rate and size. They will smolt in the spring of 2016, move to the ocean and return in the fall of 2017.
The chum fry smolted within three or four days and moved to the ocean, expected to return in the fall of 2018.
In the meantime, club members continue to enhance their skills and knowledge. Three volunteers completed the Pacific Streamkeepers Federation streamkeeping course in late June, adding to the club’s capacity to monitor the health of Bowen waterways and evaluate returning salmon spawners.
“Several streamkeepers are monitoring coho fry in our creeks during this current dry period. At this time there is sufficient water flow to support coho, cutthroat trout, and other aquatic species but, if dry conditions persist into August, smaller creeks such as Grafton and Davies may completely dry up,” says Club president Tim Pardee. “We’re all hoping for rain! “
The fry were released as follows:
- Terminal Creek/Lagoon: 58,300 chum; 7,750 coho
- Killarney Lake and Creek: 4,000 coho
- Explosives Creek: 30,000 chum; 5,000 coho
- Davies Creek: 10,000 chum; 1,000 coho
- Grafton Creek: 2,000 coho
