'They can get up to 100 lbs.': Massive salmon caught in B.C. all part of conservation program
It appears one B.C. hatchery program is off to a promising start, by the size of the Chinook salmon they’ve been pulling in from the Wannock River near Bella Bella.
“They can get up to 100 pounds, even potentially larger,” Owen Bird, executive director of the Sport Fishing Institute of B.C. told CTV News Vancouver in a phone interview.
He says salmon this large only come from one of two rivers in B.C., the Wannock River and the Kitsumkalum River in Terrace. Both rivers are supported by hatchery programs to help build strong salmon stocks.
The Percy Walkus Hatchery has been catching some of these big Chinook as part of its “egg take” program, where volunteers capture salmon that are preparing to spawn in the Wannock River.
“They collect a number of returning Chinook this time of year by using nets, then harvest the eggs and sperm and use that for stock enhancement,” says Bird.
He says they then get put into a hatchery system that has been built by the river’s edge.
“They see those Fry through until they can be released into the ocean,” added Bird. “It’s just helping nature along.”
Bird credits the success of the salmon to the work done by the Percy Walkus Hatchery, which has been running since 2016.
“Aiding these big Chinook is a really great project,” Bird says. “It’s an important part of the fate of the salmon along the coast.”
Sid Keay, the owner of Duncanby Lodge, has partnered with the Percy Walkus Hatchery to help fund its hatchery programs.
Keay says there used to be dozens of rivers that were home to these “monstrous” fish in the region, but now it’s dwindled down to just two.
“Ninety per cent of all the fish over 40 pounds come from the Wannock River and the Kitsumkalum River,” he added. “Once the genes are gone, they’re gone. That’s why our hatchery program is so vital.”
But he says, one of the greatest challenges for these large salmon is that they come from smaller river systems like the Wannock River, as opposed to the Fraser River.
“In June, the babies will get released,” Keay says. “We can only hope that a good number will make it back to spawn and a good number will be caught recreationally.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.