It's time to send off thousands of young Coho salmon to the ocean.
On Sunday, May 14, the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society will host its Salmon Leave Home event from 1 – 4 p.m. at the Hoy Creek Hatchery in Coquitlam,
Help release salmon raised by volunteers at the hatchery and participate in educational events, including making a Mother's Day Craft.
Activities get underway at 1 p.m. It's a great family event and will be an opportunity to get out of the hot sun on what is expected to be a particularly warm day.
Here's how the salmon are raised:
The first 18 months of the life of coho salmon are spent in a freshwater stream environment. Society volunteers incubate coho eggs in the hatchery and rear fry to the smolt stage in the rearing pond.
Once released to the creek, the smolts begin their journey to the ocean; they travel from Hoy Creek to Scott Creek to the Coquitlam River, and finally head out the Fraser River to the Strait of Georgia into the Pacific Ocean.
The annual Salmon Leave Home is an effort to start the salmon off on their challenging journey.
Here's what happens at the event, participants can:
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Meet volunteers.
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Release coho smolts.
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Make a Mother's Day craft.
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View coho fry.
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Play Plinko and get your salmon past predators to saltwater safety to win a prize.
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Take a family photo in front of the Coho Grads of 2023 sign.
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Learn about the hatchery and the salmon life cycle.
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Explore Hoy Creek Linear Park.
The Hoy Creek Hatchery is located on Hoy Creek Trail, west of the City Centre Aquatic Complex at the corner of Pinetree and Guildford Way. Here’s how to find the hatchery.
