The annual work program for the Powell River Salmon Society begins in the fall when the salmon return to Lang Creek. At this time the various species of salmon are sorted and held separately until they are ripe or ready for egg removal. Only a small percentage of the fish returning to the system are retained for broodstock, with the rest being enumerated and sent upstream. The season begins near the end of July and runs through November.
The first species to arrive are the Coho, which will run from late July through November. Second are the Pink salmon, which start near the end of August and end in September. Chum and Chinook runs are at their peak in October, but can carry on into November.
As egg takes progress at the Lang Creek facility, the eggs taken are transported to the incubation system at the Mill Hatchery. This system is provided with water from Powell Lake, a large body of water that cools very slowly through the fall as compared to most smaller streams that cool much more quickly given their small watersheds.
This advantage is soon realized as development of the eggs taken is accelerated with the warmer water temperatures, thus fry hatch sooner and can start being fed much sooner than would normally be the case. Most fry are released in May, and with a longer breeding period they will be larger than normal, thus increasing survival rates and returns for the years to come.
This past year's production numbers:
- 600,000 Chum eggs taken (92% survival)
- 1.3 million Chinook eggs taken (80% survival)
- 250,000 Coho eggs taken (90% survival)
These fish were all released into Lang Creek with the exception of the Chinook. Although most of the Chinook production was released into Lang Creek, the Powell River Salmon Society contributes as much as it can to other enhancement efforts.
Examples of this are:
- 150,000 Chinook were sent to Sechelt Indian Band to help aid their enhancement efforts
- 150,000 Chinook eggs were sent to Chapman Creek (Sechelt) to assist in their efforts of stock rebuilding.
- In the past, the Mill Hatchery has also contributed to Sliammon Hatchery, the Theodosia River, Kelly Creek, Whittal Creek, Willingdon Creek, and several small streams on Texada Island
It should be noted that the Powell River Salmon Society employs three full-time staff members, and is largely reliant on volunteer support. This support comes from the community as well as corporate sponsors. By allowing the Powell River Salmon Society to operate a hatchery on the Catalyst Paper mill site, Catalyst is not only helping promote the resource, but also allowing the Powell River Salmon Society to maximize its efforts to rebuild the fish stocks for the entire Sunshine Coast.
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