They start out as tiny smolts and return as large adult salmon.
And you can have a hand in giving them a good start at an event next month in Coquitlam.
The Hoy/Scott Watershed Society is hosting the Salmon Leave Home event on Sunday, May 7 to help volunteers release coho smolts into Hoy Creek.
The smolts are approximately 17 months old and can range in length from four to eight inches. Since their incubation, they have been living in a freshwater stream environment at Hoy Creek Hatchery.
At the rain or shine event, volunteers will net and bucket the fish from a rearing pond, and children of all ages will carry the buckets a short distance to the creek to release the salmon. From the creek, the smolts begin their journey, which will take them from Hoy Creek to the Coquitlam and Fraser rivers, and eventually out the Strait of Georgia to the Pacific Ocean.
This free family event at the hatchery, located behind Princess Gate, runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and in addition to the smolt release, there will be nature education, activities and music.
Find out more via Facebook (facebook.com/hoyscottcreek) and feel free to share the event using the hashtag #salmonleavehome.
