Salmon Return After Successful Home Coming Event

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Isaac Nelson of DFO points out markings on the chum salmon held by HSWS hatchery manager, Tyler Storgaard at the Salmon Come Home festival on Oct. 23 (HSWS photo)

Our annual Salmon Come Home event, held in partnership with the City of Coquitlam, took place on October 23, a beautiful cool dry autumn day. The popular community event has grown over the years, along with the forest area around the hatchery, so the event has expanded to include the Douglas College parking area. Salmon Come Home celebrates the life cycle of salmon, which spend their adult lives at sea and then return to the creeks where they hatched to spawn and die.

Thanks to the support of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, live salmon talks were provided each hour during the event, led by Isaac Nelson (DFO) and assisted by hatchery manager, Tyler Storgaard. Live chum salmon were brought in from the Coquitlam River, as with the low rainfall, the streams had not risen to provide them passage.

That all changed on October 24, as enough rainfall had occurred to bring the chum salmon home.

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A chum salmon jumps in Hoy Creek on Oct. 24 (HSWS photo)

Society members had the 10-month-old coho fry out for viewing adjacent to the rearing pond and visitors learned about the returning species. The hatchery incubation room was also on display.

Families were provided the opportunity to plant spruce seedlings or wildflower seeds in peat pots to take home.

Maple Creek Streamkeepers got people up close to examine a salmon dissection.

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Members of Maple Creek Streamkeepers at the salmon dissection table (HSWS photo)

Over at the Douglas College site, live entertainment was provided by Elaina Buenaventura, Etienne Siew, and Erzsi Institorisz. Many other local environmental groups were on site. Other activities include the popular Nylon Zoo and costume parade with Angela Brown, food trucks and an explore nature contest.

Now that the salmon have begun their return, check out our Salmon Spotting Tips. Typically, chum salmon return to local creeks from early October to mid-November and coho from late October to mid-December. Return dates of salmon fluctuate annually based on weather conditions.

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Families learn about the salmon species and view coho fry outside the rearing pond at Hoy Creek Hatchery (HSWS photo)

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A beautiful fall day for Salmon Come Home on Oct. 23 at Hoy Creek Hatchery (HSWS Photo)

Coho Off to Sea After Successful Salmon Leave Home Event

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It's off to see until you are three! We'll see you again when you are all grown, and return to make your little ones a home. – A resident poses with his four-legged friend in front of our selfie-station. (Photo: HSWS)

Thanks to those who came to our Freshwater Hoy School Graduation of our cohos of 2022!

Our Salmon Leave Home 2022 theme was Keeping Salmon Safe, focusing on the health and life-cycle of the salmon, as well as the health of the riparian area. The event took place at Hoy Creek Hatchery on May 14.

Visitors were able to sign a bon voyage card for the salmon, pledge stating what they could do to protect the fish, take a photo in front of a selfie station and play the Plinko game trying to get their salmon to saltwater safety. Coho fry were on display and Rodney Lee provided salmon education. Families learned about the hatchery and salmon life-cycle as well identification of invasive plants for Invasive Species Awareness Month.

Rodney Lee, HSWS Director provides salmon education. (Photo: HSWS)

The first 18 months of the life history of the coho salmon is spent in a freshwater stream environment. HSWS volunteers incubate coho eggs and rear fry to the smolt stage in our rearing pond. From the creek, the smolts begin their journey to the ocean: Hoy Creek → Scott Creek → Coquitlam River → Fraser River → Strait of Georgia / Pacific Ocean!

In alignment with our theme, Keeping Salmon Safe, we did not do our usual salmon release with buckets. Our coho had a tough winter and our aim is to reduce their stress.

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HSWS volunteer, Jo assists a Coquitlam family with the salmon Plinko game. (Photo: HSWS)

Coho Smolts Released to Hoy Creek

Following the Salmon Leave Home event, we were able to release our coho smolts from the rearing pond – a pure coincidence with the event! This took place by lifting the boards between the rearing pond and the creek channel.

“Our objective was to time the release with high water and steady flows to ensure the smolts could have a safe run out,” said hatchery manager, Tyler Storgaard. “The conditions on the day of the event were good.”

2740 smolts were released with an average weight of 18.9g. It takes the smolts anywhere from two to seven days to make it out to sea.

View more photos on our Facebook page.

Coquitlam Fire / Rescue Ramps Up Fire Prevention Measures

A City of Coquitlam fire / rescue crew conducting a foot patrol in a local park(City of Coquitlam photo)

COQUITLAM, BC, July 25, 2017 – Coquitlam Fire/Rescue is stepping up its patrols of green spaces and is calling on residents to take precautions as fire risk reaches dangerously high levels.

As wildfires burn across British Columbia, Coquitlam Fire/Rescue is calling on cooperation from residents to take steps that can both reduce and limit the risk of fire. This includes adhering to City bylaws that ban open air burning, littering cigarette butts and smoking in parks.

Fire/Rescue crews are now conducting daily foot patrols of city parks and forested areas and will be reporting back on any problem areas or people violating non-smoking or cooking/burning rules. High-risk areas of particular focus include multiple spots along the Coquitlam River, Oxford bluffs and Mundy Park.

Parks staff and bylaws officers are also increasing their presence in city parks and will be handing out $500 fines for smoking. Despite public awareness measures, cigarette butts remain one of the leading causes of fires in parks, forests and dry grass.

What can you do?

• Do not smoke in parks.

• Do not litter cigarette butts.

• Do not have any open fires or conduct outdoor burning.

• Relocate combustible debris or firewood at least 10 metres away from your home.

• Be aware when mowing your lawn that if the blade comes into contact with a rock, it can cause a spark that may ignite a fire.

• Ensure your vehicle's exhaust does not emit onto a dry lawn.

• Reduce the amount of fuel present around your homes; prune your shrubs, remove dead and dry vegetation and tree limbs 2-3 metres from the ground.

• Break up continuous vegetation and space so there is no continuous canopy or line of vegetation leading to your home.

• Keep the roof and gutters clear of dead needles; prune branches that hang over the roof.

Coquitlam’s fire risk is currently rated 'high.' Should this elevate to 'extreme,' further restrictions involving outdoor BBQ use in public parks will be implemented. www.coquitlam.ca/seasonalsafety.

Residents should take precautions against accidental fires and be alert to signs of fire. Report any signs of smoke or fire by calling 911 immediately.

Salmon Leave Home to be held Sunday, May 7th

Join the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society on Sunday, May 7th for Salmon Leave Home at the Hoy Creek Hatchery which is located in the woods behind Douglas College north of Guildford Way in Coquitlam.   Salmon Leave Home provides the community the opportunity to help release coho smolts into Hoy Creek.  The salmon are approximately 17 months old and can range in length from 4 to 8 inches. Since their incubation, they have been living in a freshwater stream environment at hatchery.

The annual event takes place from 11am to 2pm and will go 'rain or shine'.  Society volunteers will net and bucket the fish from the rearing pond, and children of all ages will carry the buckets a short distance to the creek to release the salmon.

From there, the smolts begin their journey to the sea via Hoy Creek, then Scott Creek, then Coquitlam River, then the Fraser River, and finally into the Strait of Georgia at the Pacific Ocean! 

This free family event will also offer educational activities, and music will be provided by 98.7 The Point.

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.

Hoy Trail has a several entrances:
- Walk in from Princess Crescent;
- Walk in from behind Douglas College;
- Walk in from Guildford Way (between Johnson and Pinetree);
- Walk in from Walton Avenue, or behind Walton Elementary;
- Walk in from the foot of Lasalle Place.

To find the exact location simply Google, "Hoy Creek Hatchery."

Stay notified via our Facebook page and be sure to invite your family and friends!  Our event hashtag is #salmonleavehome, so if you attend, feel free to tweet or share, and check out what others are posting with our event hashtag.

(Photos from last year)

Salmon Leave Home set for Sunday, May 1st

Join the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society on Sunday, May 1stfrom 11am to 2pm at Hoy Creek Hatchery in Coquiatlam as thousands of coho smolts will be released into Hoy Creek to make their way down to the Pacific Ocean.
(HSWS Photo)

The Hoy-Scott Watershed Society invites the community out for their annual Salmon Leave Home event on Sunday May 1st from 11am to 2pm at the Hoy Creek Hatchery in Coquitlam.  Children of all ages will have the opportunity to help release 18-month-old coho smolts into Hoy Creek.

“Salmon Leave Home is a great event for families to discover firsthand the wonders of nature in their environment,” said hatchery manager, Rodney Lee.  “Once the salmon are released they make their way downstream to Scott Creek, then Coquitlam River, then the Fraser River which empties into the Strait of Georgia on the Pacific Ocean.  They return in about 2 years time to the location where they were spawned,” said Lee.

The family-friendly free outdoor event will run rain or shine and the society will have families engaged in building Mason bee boxes, and bird houses.  Music is being provided by CKPM FM Tri-City Radio, and guest artist, Etienne Sew.

Society volunteers will be providing tours and information on the salmon enhancement program which is a year-round operation and includes work with plants in the riparian area of Hoy and Scott Creeks.

20,000 coho fry will also be on display and this year’s event includes activities and/or participation by  Pinetree Secondary School, Sustainable Youth Canada, Coquitlam Farmer's Market Society, Rocky Point Ice Cream, and Kwikwetlem First Nation.

The hatchery is located in the Hoy Creek Linear Park behind Douglas College and north of Guildford, a few minutes walk inland.  To find the exact location, simply Google “Hoy Creek Hatchery.”  

More information can be found at the society’s website, hoyscottcreeks.org or at hashtag #SalmonLeaveHome.

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society, (HSWS) is a not-for-profit, volunteer run environmental stewardship group, that conducts a year-round salmon enhancement program in partnership with the City of Coquitlam, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. We are actively involved in watershed restoration, public awareness, education and preservation.

Coho smolts, approximately 18 months old, seen on display at a Hoy-Scott Watershed Societyopen house which are held the first Saturday of each month. The public is invited to help release thousands of the smolts into Hoy Creek on Sunday, May 1st at Hoy Creek Hatchery in Coquitlam.  (HSWS Photo)