Earlier than expected release of 23,500 chum fry to Hoy Creek

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Bucket after bucket was carried from the hatchery to Hoy Creek just south of the hatchery for release.

Not even a month in Hoy Creek Hatchery’s Capilano trough, 23,500 chum fry made an earlier than expected exit into Hoy Creek on March 20.

The chum had to make way for the coho fry which were ready to leave the incubation stack.

The last time the Society raised and released chum fry was in 2017, and before that, the society had not raised chum salmon since the mid-90s.

The hatchery Capilano trough now houses around 10,500 coho and the outdoor rearing pond holds approximately 2,800 soon-to-be smolts that will be released in May.

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A closer view of the chum salmon fry released on March 20, 2021

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Happy Holidays from Hoy-Scott Watershed Society

Snow at Hoy Creek(Photo: Robbin Whachell / HSWS)

Happy Holidays!  2016 was a great year for us!  Here's just some of what we accomplished at the Hoy Creek Hatchery:

FISH (Coho) MARKED (clipped): 6,068
FISH (Coho) RELEASED in May:  18,732 (13,336 fry; 5396 smolts)
EGGS HARVESTED* by mid-December: Est # of 65,889 (Coho: 30298, Chum: 35,591) - this is our first year raising both chum and coho since the mid 1990s.

We take this time to welcome our 2016 new HSWS members: AJ, Sarah, Tiffany, Lily, Jamie, Tyson, Carlos, Etienne, Ivo, Isabella, Daniel, Maurice, Tyson, Simone, Shannon, Patrick and Ashley, and thank all of our existing members and supporters such as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the City of Coquitlam, Kwikwetlem First Nation, Pacific Streamkeepers Federation, Pacific Salmon Foundation, 98.7 The Point radio, Coquitlam Foundation,  and Vancity.

You can read all our 2016 happenings and news HERE.

We hope to see you at our Salmon Leave Home event on May 7th, 2017!

"Get to know your watershed. Salmon and their habitat can’t protect themselves - we need to care and advocate for both. Visit a stream, talk to your local stewardship group, and view the fish and habitat. Understand the issues. Monitor and report suspicious activity." - HSWS quoted in the Tri-City News

From from all of us at Hoy - Scott Watershed Society we wish you every happiness this Holiday Season and throughout the coming New Year...

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society (HSWS) is a volunteer run non-profit society that operates a small salmon hatchery beside Hoy Creek, and conducts a salmon enhancement program in partnership with the City of Coquitlam, and with technical expertise from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The group stewards the Hoy and Scott Watersheds, promoting public awareness and education, and is involved in watershed habitat restoration and preservation.  Learn more at our website: hoyscottcreeks.org

Chum salmon program now underway at Hoy Creek Hatchery

Department of Fisheries reps led by Scott Ducharme (right) lead HSWS members through a chum egg take on October 26th at Hoy Creek Hatchery. 

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society began incubating chum eggs in October and November.  The Society had only been raising coho salmon for the past twenty-years or so.  The addition of chum was made possible through the generous support of the Pacific Salmon Foundation enabling us to purchase and install a new incubation stack and piping for our Capilano trough room. Thanks also to the DFO and City of Coquitlam.

The hatchery has not raised chum since the mid 1990s and applied to do so again in 2015.

"Most of the chum eggs are now eyed and doing great. We had a poor survival rate in 2 of the trays, but the remainder looked good," said hatchery manager Rodney Lee. Coho egg-takes are our next focus and are now underway.

The new chum egg incubation stack is now incubating over 36,000 eggs.  Thanks to the Pacific Salmon Foundation, DFO and the City of Coquitlam for contributions to complete the project.

In the videos below, eggs from 4 chum salmon are fertilized by hand at Hoy Creek Hatchery in Coquitlam. Guided by Scott Ducharme of the DFO.  See MORE PHOTOS on our Facebook page.

Salmon Come Home returns to Coquitlam on Sunday, October 23rd

Hoy-Scott Watershed volunteer Kyle Uno holds up a chum salmon for others to see at Salmon Come Home 2015.  (Photo: Ed Paulino / HSWS)

The salmon are coming!  Join the City of Coquitlam and the Hoy-Scott Creek Watershed Society to celebrate the return of the salmon to Hoy Creek at the annual Salmon Come Home at Hoy Creek Hatchery on Sunday, October 23rd from 11 am to 3 pm. Bring your family and friends to participate in this exciting community event which attracts thousands of people to view spawning chum salmon in-stream, and learn about this amazing fish through educational demonstrations and displays.

Enjoy music, children's crafts, costume parade and story telling with Angela Brown, prize fish pond, face painting,  music by CKPM FM 98.7 The Point, and the Creative Café and guest artists will be serving up fun and Spirit Bear Coffee.

The free, family event runs rain or shine and provides a great opportunity to learn about the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society's salmon enhancement program, as well as the work of many other local stewardship groups who attend.

Hosted by the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society, and the City of Coquitlam who will have their Bad Seed/Urban Forestry; Park Spark; Solid Waste and Recycling; and Water Conservation Departments out. Other participants include Articipation; BC Salmon Marketing Council; Burke Mountain Naturalists; Coexisting with Coyotes; Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable; Coquitlam Riverwatch; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC; Kintec; Maple Creek Streamkeepers; Port Moody Ecological Society; and Kwikwetlem First Nation.

Hoy Creek Hatchery is located off of Princess Crescent, west of the City Centre Aquatic Complex and the Pinetree Community Centre in Coquitlam.  Parking is available at City Hall or at Douglas College David Lam Campus where you can enjoy a short walk inland to the hatchery via Hoy Creek Trail. To find the exact location simply Google "Hoy Creek Hatchery."

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society has been in operation since 2002 and is a volunteer run society that operates a small salmon hatchery, and conducts a salmon enhancement program in partnership with the City of Coquitlam, with technical expertise from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.  The Society also works to restore and maintain the riparian habitat in the watershed by removing invasive plant species and re-planting with native plant species. Learn more about the Society at hoyscottcreeks.org

Salmon Come Home is environmentally-themed and designed to promote public awareness about conservation and spawning salmon that migrate back to Coquitlam. For more information on Salmon Come Home, please visit coquitlam.ca/enviroevents