10,000 Coho Marked at Hoy Creek Hatchery

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HSWS student volunteer, Ririka works alongside DFO members on her first fin-clip.

On June 10 our annual adipose fin clipping session took place at Hoy Creek Hatchery. Over 10,000 Coho fry, approximately 6 months old had their adipose fin removed to identify them as 'hatchery fish.'

Led by hatchery manager Tyler Storgaard, the procedure is overseen by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada who had three members on-site assisting. The adipose fin, located at the top back of the salmon is removed after the fish have been sedated. It's a fast process and many careful hands make light work.

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The clipping station set up outside the Hoy Creek Hatchery on June 10, 2021.

The markings also help the society identify the hatchery fish during returns in the fall.

Thanks to Hoy-Scott Watershed volunteers who put in the time to assist with this exercise.

The fish will be moved to the outdoor rearing pond in the coming days and will remain there until May of 2022.

• View more photos in our Facebook album.

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Sedation area

Salmon Hatchery Manager Opening in Coquitlam

Hoy Creek Hatchery is located east of Douglas College David Lam campus in Coquitlam, along Hoy Trail.

(APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED — Thank you for your interest. If you’d like to volunteer with us, click our “Get Involved'“ button)

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society (HSWS) in Coquitlam, B.C. is seeking a fish hatchery manager. The individual will be trained by the current hatchery manager, Rodney Lee starting mid-September 2019 and will eventually assume the managing activities at the hatchery. No previous experience is needed, just reliability, an interest in fish and an appetite for learning and ability to coordinate.

This role will train in all aspects of managing the hatchery including broodstock collection, egg takes, equipment operation and maintenance, egg incubation and caring for the alevins and fry.

Interested persons should provide a brief essay stating interest, previous experience (if any) and why you would like this role. Please note that all volunteers working at the Hoy Creek Hatchery are members of the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society. This is a volunteer position.

Responsibilities:

• Learn how the hatchery operates

• Learn how to start-up and maintain equipment

• Learn about salmon and primarily the 2 species we will be incubating - Chum and Coho

• Learn how to capture and care for broodstock

• Learn about and conduct the egg-take and fertilization process.

• Learn about and maintain biosecurity protocol for the facility.

• Assist with weekly and season maintenance activities

• Assist with the care and feeding of all generations of fish

• Assist with fish length and weight sampling including started fish health calculations

• Assist with taking water quality measurements

• Assist with operation of the rearing pond including the operation of the lower pond and outlet weir.

• Learn about aquaculture in the context of the Salmon Enhancement Program through Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

• Assist with planning and execution of fish marking (adipose clipping).

• Assist with transport and release of surplus Coho fry to Upper Hoy and Upper Scott if necessary.

• Provide a brief hatchery update to HSWS executive for monthly meetings (Sept. – June)

• Assist at our public events: Salmon Come Home (October); Salmon Leave Home (May)

• Act as the backup for the current hatchery manager, Rodney Lee until able to resume full responsibility as a hatchery manager.

Time commitment: Hours vary but would typically require at least 3 hours one morning per week September through June. Training would take place on Saturday mornings. This commitment starts with preparatory work for the broodstock capturing season and goes through to fin-clipping and transfer to the hatchery rearing pond; to the annual release of smolts in May. Summer months are less busy. The selected candidate must be available to attend to hatchery duties as they arise and needs vary a lot in the season. Living relatively close to the hatchery is a necessity.

Communication: Needs to be available by cell phone and text message as a primary means of communication. Email is secondary.

Benefits of the position:

• 1 year free training from current manager of 11 years

• Opportunity to learn from the Department of Fisheries staff to support one of the most significant sub-watersheds in the Coquitlam River watershed

• Development opportunities available, including attendance at Pacific Streamkeepers Federation workshops / SEP conference

• Rewarding work with a fun, friendly, committed group of volunteers

• Volunteering looks great on a resume!

Please email the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society with questions or to state your interest in this role: hoyscottwatershed@gmail.com.

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

Fourth annual fin clipping exercise at Hoy Creek Hatchery

Volunteers carefully snip the adipose fin off a sedated coho fry

On June 15, 2017 we performed our fourth fin clipping exercise at Hoy Creek Hatchery for our coho salmon fry.

The adipose fin is removed after the fish are sedated. It's a fast process and many careful hands make light work.

The entire procedure is overseen by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. All fry recovered expect one of approximately 5500 fishmarked.  The markings help the society identify hatchery fish during returns in the fall.

Thanks to Hoy-Scott Watershed members who provided the photos seen here.

Many hands make light and fast work! Hoy-Scott Watershed Volunteers during our fourth annual fin-clipping exercise

Sedated coho fry. 

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.

Over 6000 coho fry marked at Hoy Creek Hatchery

A HSWS volunteer carefully clips the adipose fin of a sedated coho fry

On June 21st, 2016 the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society conducted another successful fin-clipping exercise with over 6000 young coho salmon which had been thriving in the Capilano trough room of the hatchery located on Hoy Creek since approximately December 2015.

"This was our third year of doing the fin clip exercise to identify our fish as 'hatchery' salmon," said hatchery manager, Rodney Lee. The fish are first sedated, and then the adipose-fin (small top back fin) is carefully snipped off. The entire operation is overseen by the Department of Fisheries.

"We clipped over 6000 fry in two hours thanks to our volunteers," said Rodney. "The fish recover quickly and will be moved to our rearing pond in a few days, where they will live until their release next May. They will then head out to the ocean, and when they return, this is our way of identifying them."

Volunteers work diligently,  and quickly clipping and counting coho fry

View our entire PHOTO ALBUM on Facebook HERE.

Under the supervision of the Department of Fisheries, Hoy Creek Hatchery held another successful fin-clip exercise of over 6000 coho on June 21st.