Monthly Volunteer Orientation and Information Sessions Underway

Looking to volunteer with us? We'll be hosting monthly volunteer orientation sessions at the hatchery, the first Saturday of each month (excluding July, August) from 12 noon to 1:30pm. These are drop-in sessions, and a great opportunity to learn about the salmon rearing process and the hatchery, and ask questions.

Check our "Calendar" page on this website for more information.

We'll be available to help fill out membership forms or receive dues during those sessions as well. Again, no need to sign up, just drop by and say hello!

To find us just Google search: "Hoy Creek Hatchery"

Here's more information about Getting Involved with us.

Hatchery Update: December 2014

A HSWS volunteer found a hatchery-marked (fin-clipped) coho jack on November 15th in our trap area in Hoy Creek. He was released.

Another salmon season has come and gone with apparent average returns to Hoy Creek. The following is an overview by Rodney Lee, Hatchery Manager:

Pink: This was a Pink salmon return year and to the lower Fraser, returns were on the low end of the forecasted range.  Water levels in Scott Creek and Hoy Creek were also low, which likely inhibited Pink salmon from entering Scott Creek.  The past two cycles saw a small number of Pinks up to the Hoy Creek hatchery area. Pink salmon fry releases had also not continued with the last release occurring 2 cycles ago.

Rodney holds a chum salmon beside Hoy Creek during our Salmon Come Home Festival in October.

Chum: Chum salmon returns were much better than the previous 2 years making it an average year for chum returns. We were unsuccessful at capturing brood stock and will be adjusting our approach for next year.

Coho: Coho salmon returns appear average with a few remaining fish still in Hoy Creek.  Returns to the creek appear to be average this season and we were successful with our brood stock capture program having taken the maximum # of eggs to incubate that our aquaculture licensing would allow.  This season also marks the first returns of adipose clipped 'hatchery' Coho jacks.  We identified 4 fish.  We will add the number we capture next year to provide an estimated survival rate from the smolt to adult stage given we released just over 1800 fish from this brood year.

In addition to these 3 salmon species, we also saw some Chinook salmon in Hoy Creek which is not typical, but likely occurred during one of the many high water rain events that occurred this past fall.  They are Coquitlam River fish that strayed into Scott Creek and Hoy Creek.  Also, juvenile cutthroat and rainbow trout.

Coho egg incubation: We are raising 7 trays of eggs and estimate to have 24,500.  The oldest eggs that were fertilized in mid-November are now in the 'eyed' egg stage.  It'll still be a number of weeks before they hatch.

Coho egg take on November 21st. Seasonal egg take number 3. The fish was big! We harvested about 4,000 eggs.

Hoy-Scott Watershed Holds AGM and Planning Session

Our annual general meeting was held on December 12th, 2015 at the Coquitlam Public Library.

We use this annual get=-together to review our past year's work, to brainstorm new ideas and projects, and set goals for the coming year.

It's always followed by our Christmas social at a local restaurant.  See more photos (thanks to Dulce) in our Facebook album.

100 native trees and shrubs planted in Hoy Watershed

HSWS volunteers, Dulce, Robbin and Edmond in the planted area

Riparian work by Hoy-Scott Watershed Society along Hoy Creek on November 22nd below the Coquitlam fire hall. Hoy-Scott Watershed Society planted 100 native trees provided by the City of Coquitlam.

A healthy riparian area supports a healthy stream, providing bank stability and shade in the summer months.

Thanks to Rodney, Robbin, Edmond and Dulce for the work put in.

(Photo: Dulce Paulino)

(Photo: Robbin Whachell)

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society attends Hyde Creek Salmon Festival

Society volunteers, Malcolm, Nathen and Kyle provided information about our efforts to attendees of the Salmon Festival in Port Coquitlam

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society volunteers participated in the annual Hyde Creek Salmon Festival once again on November 15th.   The festival is held at the Hyde Creek Community Center and provides a wonderful opportunity for the community to visit the local Hyde Creek Hatchery, view the creek itself, and learn about many aspects of the environment through the myriad of community groups that participate each year.

Left to right: Kyle, Mia, Coquitlam mayor Richard Stewart, and Dulce

Thanks goes out to our Society volunteers, Dulce, Kyle, Mia, Malcolm, Nathen and Robbin who helped man our booth at the event.  See MORE photos here on our Facebook album.

Scott and Maurice from the Department of Fisheries show live coho salmon and answer questions

VIDEO CLIP BELOW:

Check out the video clip of a bald eagle with the Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society

Mushrooms along Hoy Trail

Photo: Robbin Whachell / HSWS

Mushrooms are a wonderful sight to see in the watershed.

Here are some we've seen along Hoy Trail and Hoy Creek. Some even grow in the gravel beside the Hoy Creek Hatchery.

Photo: Robbin Whachell / HSWS

Photo: Robbin Whachell / HSWS

Photo: Robbin Whachell / HSWS

Salmon Come Home well supported by the community

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Children paint a mural with the Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable to welcome home the salmon.

The chum salmon started arriving back in Hoy Creek around mid-October, and on October 25th the community of the Tri-Cities came out to celebrate at the annual Salmon Come Home festival put on by the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society and the City of Coquitlam.  The festival is environmentally-themed and designed to promote public awareness about conservation and spawning salmon that migrate back to Coquitlam.

The weather was optimal and approximately 2200 people passed through to get a glimpse of spawning chum salmon in Hoy Creek and take in the activities set up around Hoy Creek Hatchery. The event was held during a dry weather spell so the chum numbers could have been higher for viewing, but people were able to see one or two throughout the day. The Society also had several large chum in the hatchery's Capilano trough for closer viewing, as well as several on-land demos with live salmon where held as Maurice Coulter-Boisvert from the Department of Fisheries answered questions.

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Cookies made by Melanie Lee

There were many other educational displays and activities for the entire family. Salmon educator, Chris Hamming provided an ongoing tutorial about the salmon over by the rearing pond, and other participating groups who provided interesting activities and education were Burke Mountain Naturalists; City of Coquitlam - Bad Seed, Solid Waste and Recycling, Urban Wildlife, and Water Conservation; Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable; Coquitlam Riverwatch; Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC; Friends of DeBoville Slough; Hoy/Scott Watershed Society; Hyde Creek Watershed Society; Kintec; Maple Creek Streamkeepers; South Coast Conservation Program; Vancity Pinetree Branch; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; and the Port Moody Ecological Society.

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Jay Peachy serves up Spirit Bear coffee while Etienne Siew performs.

The day would not have had such a festive-feel if it were not for the music! The Canadian Sound Therapy Arts Society's Wild Salmon Creative Café were out providing piping hot Spirit Bear Coffee, and entertainment by The Bird and the Lion, Etienne Siew, and a DJ. 

The four-hour event had kids crafts, costume parade and story telling with Angela Brown, as well as a prize fish pond provided by Kintec. Children enjoyed painting a mural with the Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable. 

Everyone oohed and awed over the salmon cookies made by HSWS member, Melanie Lee, with all sales from the cookies going toward the Society.

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Hoy Creek Hatchery manager Rodney Lee holds up a salmon during the on land demonstrations led by the Department of Fisheries

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society would like to thank all those that made the event possible! A big thank you to our partners at the City of Coquitlam, in particular Caresse Selk. Thanks also to CKPM FM Tri-City Radio; the many volunteers who lent a hand; and all the community groups that took part.

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

Check out MORE photos on our Facebook page.

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HSWS founding member and salmon educator, Chris Hamming

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Approximately 2200 came through to enjoy SALMON COME HOME at Hoy Creek Hatchery on Hoy Trail

Thank you Vancity!

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society is pleased to receive a Community Grant from Vancity Pinetree Branch.

The grant will help Hoy Scott support our salmon enhancement program, watershed restoration, and our Salmon Come Home festival on Sunday, October 25th.

Thank you!

Coquitlam to host, Salmon Come Home on October 25th

The salmon are back in Hoy Creek!  Join the City of Coquitlam and the Hoy-Scott Creek Watershed Society to celebrate their return at the annual Salmon Come Home gathering at Hoy Creek Hatchery on Sunday, October 25th 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 demonstrationsand displays.

Enjoy music, children's crafts, costume parade and story telling with Angela Brown, prize fish pond, face painting,  music by Tri-City Radio, 98.7 CKPM FM, and the Creative Café 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. Participating is: Burke Mountain Naturalists; City of Coquitlam - Bad Seed; City of Coquitlam - Solid Waste and Recycling; City of Coquitlam - Urban Wildlife; City of Coquitlam - Water Conservation; Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable; Coquitlam Riverwatch; Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC; Friends of DeBoville Slough; Hoy/Scott Watershed Society; Hyde Creek Watershed Society; Kintec; Maple Creek Streamkeepers; South Coast Conservation Program; Canadian Sound Therapy Arts Society - Wild Salmon Creative Café; Vancity Pinetree Branch; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; and the Port Moody Ecological Society.

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 location on your cell phone map app, Google "Hoy Creek Hatchery." Location via Google maps. 

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.

Salmon Come Home, 2014

Join our Facebook Event Page to keep updates, and be sure to invite your family and friends...  Our event hashtag is #salmoncomehome.

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

Chum salmon return to Hoy Creek

it's the fall excitement that never gets old! The first sighting after the anticipated return of salmon to our local creeks!

On October 9th, 2015, chum salmon were spotted for the first time this season just south of the Hoy Creek Hatchery making their way upstream. View the video above.

Chum salmon in Hoy Creek, Coquitlam in mid-November 2015 (Photo: Ed Paulino)

And of course, with the return, there is death. Salmon return to the place they were born to spawn, thus completing their life cycle.

A dead chum salmon in Hoy Creek, Coquitlam (Photo: Robbin Whachell)