Hatchery manager, Rodney Lee buckets coho fry for transfer to another location.
In May 2020, Hoy Creek Hatchery held approximately 13,620 coho fry.
Hoy-Scott Watershed Society's annual aquaculture license with federal fisheries allows us to incubate up to 25,000 eggs but only release 5,000 1-year-old Coho smolts from that brood year in May.
Any excess are released to the Upper Hoy and Scott Creeks to areas of the stream where wild fry are not present. In addition, fry are released to Pinnacle Pond. From those locations, the Coho fry can make use of the habitat, grow and eventually make their way out to the ocean to complete their lifecycle.
On May 16, HSWS volunteers Rodney Lee and Tyler Storgaard weighed and counted out our surplus of 8,620 fry and loaded up the truck for transport and released them at 5 different locations. The fry weighed approximately 1.3 grams and are about 5 months old.
Transfer tub in the back of the truck
The Coquitlam locations where surplus coho fry were released on Saturday were: Upper Hoy Creek at Camelback Ct off of Plateau; Upper Scott Creek at Panorama by Bramblewood; Upper Scott Creek at Tanglewood Lane; Beaver Pond at Scott Creek; Lower Beaver Pond; and Pinnacle Pond.
Once our remaining fry grow to 2 – 3 grams they will be ready for marking, and will have their adipose fins clipped to identify them as hatchery fish. Our hatchery fry continue to be hand-fed twice per day.
After clipping they will be transferred to the rearing pond west of the hatchery where they will mature until the Salmon Leave Home event in May 2021.
The fry weighed approximately 1.3 grams and are about 5 months old.