Campbell River streamkeepers introduced juvenile coho salmon into the Simms Creek watershed on Nov. 5
The annual release took place at many locations in the Beaver Lodge Forest Lands after sites with suitable pools and in-stream cover for the fish were carefully selected, said Keely Dodds, community engagement coordinator with Greenways Land Trust.
These coho fry, raised at the Quinsam Hatchery, are set free into the creek every fall, with 2,500 fry marked as hatchery fish by a clipped back fin called the adipose fin. The young coho spend one year in the freshwater before migrating to the ocean.
"In the spring, as we operate our juvenile fish fence at Simms Creek, we trap smolts as they head downstream toward the estuary," Dodds said. "This allows us to identify hatchery versus wild fish based on the presence or absence of the adipose fin."
Since 2008, wild coho populations in the creek are consistently higher than hatchery-raised ones, Dodds said.
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The release of the salmon is a collaboration with the Simms Creek Streamkeepers, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' community advisor, and staff with Greenways Land Trust.
