About 50 people improved their salmon knowledge while helping release 300 chinook fry from Houston’s Buck Creek Canfor Hatchery on April 28, 2018.
Cindy Verbeek, Bulkley A Rocha Project’s coordinator, said that despite the wind, the event - which included games, activities and refreshments - was a success.
“It was fun to get the public involved,” she said. “We even had people from Burns Lake and Ootsa Lake join us.”
Verbeek said fry releases are a great way for the public to learn more about the salmon’s life cycle and what it needs to survive.
“Hatchery fish do two things - they help hang on to some of the genetic diversity of a population, as well as give them a boost in numbers at a time when all salmon species are struggling due to loss of habitat, pollution and climate change,” she explained.
The 300 chinook fry that were released on April 28 were only a small portion of the thousands of salmon being raised at the Toboggan Creek Fish Hatchery, located west of Smithers. The rest of the chinook were released last week.
Verbeek said the Houston hatchery, which was inaugurated last September, will be ready to release their own fry in about a month. The hatchery has been gaining interest and support from the community, with requests for school groups and tours every week.
READ MORE: Houston coho hatchery in full swing
Last week the Houston hatchery received its first donation - from the Grizzly Bear Foundation - toward the facility’s phase two construction. Phase two involves expanding the facility - making it a 40 by 30 feet building - which would allow for the creation of a nature centre and an environmental education centre.
“When people ask when we will build [phase two], I tell them ‘in $150,000,’” said Verbeek.
Her expectation last August was that it would take at least a couple of years to raise that amount.
“But I would be thrilled to start building sooner if someone with a heart for salmon, education and the health of this watershed is willing to provide funding sooner,” she said.
A Rocha’s next big event will be the Houston Bioblitz, which will take place on May 25 and 26, 2018.
Scientists, who are experts in their fields, have been invited to help host a free barbecue lunch for the community, thanks to donations from TD Friends of the Environment and the Bulkley Valley Credit Union.
The scientists will lead focused teams to document biodiversity in the Upper Bulkley River Watershed in a 24-hour period. Each team will receive a shiny new backpack with supplies specific to the species they are looking for.
Last year, participants counted 222 species, up from 164 species in 2016.
“This year we are going to blow that number out of the water,” said Verbeek.
Counting in and around Houston will begin at 6 p.m. on May 25 and end at 6 p.m. on May 26.
To register for a team, or to find out more about the event, visit www.arocha.ca/best-ever-houston-bioblitz.
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