Community Articles
General News · 28th April 2022
FOCI Streamkeepers Christine
The salmon enhancement programme through Klahoose and FOCI Streamkeepers has completed their spring work.
A previous Tideline posting reported that 6000 chum eggs had been collected and fertilized from brood stock in Basil Creek for the first time in November, and additionally, 60,000 chum eggs came from the Tla’amin Hatchery in Powell River in December. The 66,000 eggs were dispersed fairly equally between incubation units in Basil Creek and Whaletown Creek and incubation boxes in the Klahoose Hatchery.
Sadly, many of the eggs placed in Basil Creek did not survive the sedimentation & flooding this past winter, and a rescue operation salvaged some eggs from the Basil Creek incubation boxes and added them to the Klahoose Hatchery.
The Whaletown chum eggs fared well and several local families helped release about 20,000 tiny fry into the creek on March 24. If you looked carefully against sandy patches in the creek, the fry could be seen in little groups for a week before they moved out to Whaletown Lagoon and beyond.
The Klahoose Hatchery eggs went through an intermediate caring step and the fry spent 4 weeks in outside rearing troughs. Daily feeding and trough cleaning was shared by Klahoose and FOCI Streamkeepers. On the day of freedom for the tiny fry weighing 0.42 grams, Klahoose singers & drummers (Ana, Amber, Emma and Georgina) offered a blessing song at the hatchery. Home schoolers & families helped net the fry into buckets and carry them to a tank truck which transported them to Basil Creek. On April 20, we estimate that close to 22,000 chum fry were released into Basil Creek above and below the arch culvert.
A wonderful collaboration between Fisheries & Oceans, Klahoose, FOCI Streamkeepers and community. New streamkeepers interested in participating are always welcome to leave their names at the FOCI office.
A previous Tideline posting reported that 6000 chum eggs had been collected and fertilized from brood stock in Basil Creek for the first time in November, and additionally, 60,000 chum eggs came from the Tla’amin Hatchery in Powell River in December. The 66,000 eggs were dispersed fairly equally between incubation units in Basil Creek and Whaletown Creek and incubation boxes in the Klahoose Hatchery.
Sadly, many of the eggs placed in Basil Creek did not survive the sedimentation & flooding this past winter, and a rescue operation salvaged some eggs from the Basil Creek incubation boxes and added them to the Klahoose Hatchery.
The Whaletown chum eggs fared well and several local families helped release about 20,000 tiny fry into the creek on March 24. If you looked carefully against sandy patches in the creek, the fry could be seen in little groups for a week before they moved out to Whaletown Lagoon and beyond.
The Klahoose Hatchery eggs went through an intermediate caring step and the fry spent 4 weeks in outside rearing troughs. Daily feeding and trough cleaning was shared by Klahoose and FOCI Streamkeepers. On the day of freedom for the tiny fry weighing 0.42 grams, Klahoose singers & drummers (Ana, Amber, Emma and Georgina) offered a blessing song at the hatchery. Home schoolers & families helped net the fry into buckets and carry them to a tank truck which transported them to Basil Creek. On April 20, we estimate that close to 22,000 chum fry were released into Basil Creek above and below the arch culvert.
A wonderful collaboration between Fisheries & Oceans, Klahoose, FOCI Streamkeepers and community. New streamkeepers interested in participating are always welcome to leave their names at the FOCI office.
