Knotweed Along Hoy Trail Requires Proper Treatment to Be Contained

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Signs mounted by the City of Coquitlam in the effected area along Hoy Trail

We'd like to thank the unknown citizen/s who took time to work on hacking down, cutting and uprooting the invasive Knotweed along Hoy Trail north of the hatchery and adjacent to Walton Elementary. Unfortunately, what this person/s did not realize is that they were actually making the matter worse, as the plant spreads through root and stem fragments.

We appreciate concerns because Knotweed is one tough invasive!

“Knotweeds’ vigorous rhizome growth can damage concrete walls, pavement, bridge and building foundations, drainage works and flood prevention structures (Global Invasive Species Database 2017), and cause erosion of shorelines. Knotweeds can also affect motorist, cyclist, and pedestrian safety by blocking sightlines and signs along roads, highways, trails, and other transportation routes. Dense thickets can increase concerns about personal security in parks (Yong 2017). They can also be a nuisance for aquatic recreationalists frequenting lakes, streams, or rivers as uncontrolled infestations can impede access.”

The work of uprooting and cutting this plant into pieces was only giving it more opportunity to spread. The city’s parks department was called in to remove the cuttings and roots left in piles along the trail. Knotweed has to be disposed of properly to thwart its growth at the site and potentially elsewhere where it is being disposed to.

“Knotweeds spread by rhizomes, which can extend up to 3 metres deep and 20 metres wide. These expansive rhizomes are much larger than expected for a plant of its size, making knotweeds even more challenging to manage. New plants sprout from fragments of root and stem material. Even very small fragments (0.7 grams or more) of the rhizomes or stems can regenerate, which enables knotweeds to spread very easily and effectively. Buried rhizomes can regenerate from depths of 1 metre or more. One common cause of spread is Best Management Practices for Knotweed Species in the Metro Vancouver Region 5 from unauthorized dumping of cut or dug knotweed in green spaces or natural areas.”

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Uprooted and cut knotweed along Hoy Trail.

The Society would like to thank the City of Coquitlam for cleaning up the site and properly disposing of the remains, as well as erecting signs in the area to help educate the public.

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Should you have a concern about an invasive within our parks you should contact the City of Coquitlam.

Learn more about the invasive species, Knotweed HERE from the City of Coquitlam. More information at BC Invasives HERE.

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HSWS Volunteer Maya Uno Wins REACH Award

Maya in front of Hoy Creek Hatchery ready to lead a tour.

As a part of the 2020 Youth Week, the Tri-Cities held the REACH Awards virtually to recognize those working to significantly empower, celebrate and impact youth in the community. REACH stands for Recognizing Efforts and Achievements across Community and Home, and nominations for this year’s awards were accepted in March and April.

We are pleased to report that Maya Uno of the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society won in the youth category. The press release by the City of Coquitlam states that, “Maya Uno, is an active volunteer at Hoy Creek Hatchery’s salmon enhancement program whose dedication sets an example for the hatchery’s other youth volunteers.”

All recipients were congratulated by the mayor of Coquitlam, Richard Stewart.

“Maya is well-deserving of this award,” said HSWS president, Robbin Whachell. “She has been helping the Society since she was 12 years old and will graduate high school this year.”

The following is from our nomination:

For over 7 years, Maya has been actively volunteering at the Hoy Creek Hatchery with the salmon enhancement program. She's led tours of the hatchery for visiting judges of the annual Communities in Bloom competition that the City competes in and leads summer tours for children from schools, daycares, as well as city programs. Maya also sits on the local committee on invasive species. Currently, she's a weekly salmon feeder at the hatchery and is leading the development of a new 'salmon talk' to be provided to children and adults at the society's annual Salmon Come Home event, formerly done by salmon educator, the late Chris Hamming.

Maya led 25 tours over the summer months, continues to assist with weekly hatchery monitoring and fish feeding. She's also assisting in the society's historic record transfer to the City Archives and leading the reorganization of the hatcheries office and supply area. She manned the society's booth at the City's Welcome to Coquitlam event answering questions and educating the public about the society and the watershed. She helped with the annual stream clean in August helping remove trash from Scott Creek. She is currently working on reestablishing the 'Salmon Talk' which she is developing for the next 'Salmon Come Home' event in fall 2020. Maya often helps lead hatchery open houses.

The Society has watched Maya grow up and mature over the past seven years and is extremely proud of the work Maya continues to do. She's setting an example for the other youth members in the group (and our community), and takes it upon herself to show up at monthly Society meetings and provides constructive input which often leading to positive change. She's comfortable speaking to the public during tours or at our Society events or city events. She has a keen interest in sharing her knowledge. 

In 2015, and at the age of 12, Maya was acknowledged for her work with the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society by the City of Coquitlam for her environmental work. That same year Mia organized a half-day field trip for her school class to the Hoy Creek hatchery and watershed, where they learned about the salmon and the enhancement program with hands-on actives. They also learned about invasive and non-invasive plants species and did some planting along Hoy Creek.

Congratulations Maya! We are fortunate to have your support.

(Other articles related to Maya.)

HSWS Salutes our Dedicated Volunteers!

Spring 2020 riparian work

April 19 through 25 is National Volunteer Week in Canada, and we would like to take this time to thank our dedicated volunteers who make up our Society. 

We come together to make our community and our environment a better place.

From our daily feeders to our youth group and Saturday morning work session members, to those who lead and work administratively; collectively, we all make it happen!

Maya, Earl and Lilian representing HSWS at a Coquitlam city hall event.

Saturday morning youth volunteers in the winter after gathering cuttings to later plant in spring.

Summer 2019 creek clean.

Ririka and Steven mark storm drains with yellow fish in summer 2019.

Broodstock collection 2019/20

Salmon Come Home 2019

Fish Kill Reported in Hoy Creek

Submitted photo

A fish kill in Hoy Creek was reported to Hoy/Scott Watershed Society and the City of Coquitlam on Sunday, April 12 after dead fry were seen on the bottom of the creek.

The city reported to the Society that their staff attended the creek on Sunday and went out again an additional two times this week. Approximately 20 – 30 fish were observed dead on Sunday with no new reports since then.

The incident appeared to localized in the stretch of the Hoy Creek around Hialeah Court and Woodbine Place.

There were no indications of contaminants (no smell, nothing observed in the creek, etc.) and there were smaller fry and water striders observed upstream and downstream of the dead fish.

There is always the possibility that someone discharged chlorinated water into the storm drain while cleaning their swimming pool or hot tub, but the chlorine evaporates fairly quickly and is very difficult to trace.

City staff also reported the incident to the Provincial Environment Officer who didn’t believe there was any point in taking a sample of the water or dead fish given that the contaminant was already gone.

The Society would like to remind Coquitlam residents that storm drains lead directly to our waterways, and everyone should exercise caution when disposing of pollutants, which includes chemicals used for cleaning hot tubs and pools, etc.

To report a spill in the creek click here.

Click here to read Home Tips for Healthy Streams

Hatchery Update – The Coho Fry Stage

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Coho fry approximately 5 month old.

Since our last update, a lot has changed, not only with our eggs hatching, alevin emerging and now maturing to swim-up fry but the global pandemic we face.  As a result of COVID-19, Hoy-Scott Watershed Society has made the decision to cancel all Saturday work sessions, all in-person meetings, and hatchery tours or open houses until further notice including our annual Salmon Leave Home event.  

Behind the scenes, our volunteers continue to provide the daily aquaculture care including feeding, filter and equipment/tank cleaning supporting the 2018/2019 broodstock held in our rearing pond and the 2019/2020 swim-up fry that have been transferred from the incubator to our Capilano trough.

Three of our four Coho Salmon trays in the incubator have matured to fry with only a faint reminder on their bellies where a yolk sack once was (from the Alevin lifecycle stage).  These three trays have been transferred to our Capilano trough and all at different times as they each reach their maturity as swim-up fry. As of today, we have almost 8000 fry held in our Capilano trough (on the east side of the hatchery building), and the final incubator tray is just days away from joining the rest as they mature. Our survival rate has been over 99% with this year's collection and we will have almost 14,000 coho salmon.

Fry are ponded and move from the incubation room to the Capilano trough on the east side of the hatchery.

When first ponded, the fry undergo a vital change – it takes some time (between 20-40 mins or more), but they eventually swim-up to the surface to take in air.  Over a period, they will take several surface gulps of air that fill up their swim bladder allowing them to hold a position in the water (i.e. float). As the fry begin to stabilize and adjust to this new environment, we begin to feed them with food for their first time; previously as alevin, they fed off their yolk sacks. 

Our fry along with wild salmon have developed dark bars on their sides by now, called parr marks.  In a natural environment, these bars help them to camouflage with the gravel and blend in with their surroundings to hide from predators like birds.  Coho fry within Hoy creek and other estuaries will be visible if you are to patiently wait and watch long enough in eddies and still pools.

As the weather improves, we find ourselves getting out to complete yard work, clean the exterior of the house, clean the car, among many other activities.  With each of these activities, we should stop and think about where the fertilizer run-off goes, the same about the paint that fell off the fence or house during washing, the soap that removed the grime from the car and even the sand with some murky water that left the driveway bright grey once again.  All of these are pollutants and we must each do our part to ensure these don’t end up in our watershed or elsewhere in the environment. 

Also when taking a walk through the watershed on sunny days, remember how nice it is to be in the cool shade.  Wild salmon in the creek including our hatchery fish rely on shade created from large boulders, overhanging bushes, tree stumps or fallen logs to keep the water cool.  Wooded debris in the creek not only provides shade but food sources and also acts as a natural aerator to keep up the oxygen in the water for the fish to survive. Please remember to leave the branches, logs and creek banks the way they are found to ensure the creek remains stable, healthy and productive with life.

If you have questions or are interested in volunteering with the society, please contact us at hoyscottwatershed@gmail.com. Be sure to check out our Facebook page for more photos of our work and of nature along the watershed.

Hoy/Scott Watershed Society cancels all public activities

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hoy/Scott Watershed Society has cancelled all Saturday work sessions, all in-person meetings and hatchery tours or open houses until further notice.

Updates will be provided on the Society website and the Society Facebook page when there is certainty as to whether our Salmon Leave Home event and our annual general meeting will go ahead or be cancelled.

Please note that we are still seeking nominations for directors, vice president, and secretary. If you are interested in putting your name forward or want to nominate someone else (with their approval), please email your nomination to hoyscottwatershed@gmail.com.

Feel free to also email us with any questions or concerns.

Stay safe, and enjoy the watershed!

Robbin Whachell
President,
Hoy/Scott Watershed Society

MP for Coquitlam Visits Hoy Creek Hatchery

Thank you Ron McKinnon, Member of Parliament for Coquitlam - Port Coquitlam for taking time and interest in the Hoy - Scott Watershed Society. It was great to show you and some of your team around the Hoy Creek Fish Hatchery and rearing pond area.

On Wednesday, March 4, minister of parliament for Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, Ron McKinnon visited Hoy Creek salmon hatchery to learn about the work of the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society.

The tour was led by society president, Robbin Whachell and Fisheries & Oceans Canada community advisor Scott Ducharme reviewed the incubation room which now holds close to 15,000 coho salmon in stages from eyed-egg to alevins ready to soon swim-up to fry stage.

“Thank you Robbin, for giving me an amazing tour of the community hatchery! It was great to see all the Coho at different stages of incubation,” said MP McKinnon said on his social media page after the visit. “Hoy-Scott Watershed Society is a volunteer-run society committed to environmental stewardship of Hoy-Scott watershed.”

“The work done by Hoy-Scott Watershed Society helps make a sustainable future for our salmon population a reality while ensuring the protection of their natural habitat.”

Scott Ducharme of Fisheries & Oceans Canada shows MP McKinnon coho alevins in the incubation room of Hoy Creek Hatchery.

Left to right: President of Hoy/Scott Watershed Society, Robbin Whachell; Ron McKinnon, MP for Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, and Scott Ducharme, Community Advisor, Fisheries & Oceans Canada.

City Archivist Visits Hoy Creek Hatchery

Emily Lonie, Archivist in the office at Hoy Creek Hatchery (Photo: HSWS)

On Jan. 31, City of Coquitlam archivist, Emily Lonie visited Hoy Creek Hatchery to give guidance on how the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society can protect the documents they have crammed into their little office within the Hoy Creek Hatchery.

“We’re really busting at the seams,” said society president, Robbin Whachell.  “Every inch of space is of value in our small building and we want to ensure our documents are protected now that we’ve long since moved to a digital way of record-keeping.” 

Information deemed historic about the society, the hatchery building and rearing pond, which sits on the former Frederick Brewer property, will be boxed up and transferred to the city archives for preservation and future reference. 

Lonie advised that documents such as society reports, agendas, photographs and drawings are all important to preserve the history of the land and the environmental stewardship group. 

“We’re excited to make space, but even more excited that the public will have access to information that may have only been collecting dust in the hatchery,” said Whachell. 

The hatchery construction started in 1995 and was completed in 1997, and is located in Hoy Creek Linear Park, west of the City Centre Aquatic Complex and north of  Guildford Way in Coquitlam, B.C.

Read more about our HISTORY here.

UPDATE: Our hardcopy records transfer was completed on April 2, 2020.

Hatchery Update – Understanding ATUs

Coho salmon eggs (Photo: HSWS)

For salmonid enhancement purposes Hoy-Scott Watershed Society members actively fished and monitored for coho salmon broodstock collections in late 2019, however due to low returns efforts for collection ceased early.

Our team was successful in a coho broodstock collection of close to 15,000 eggs. 3 of our 4 trays

in the incubator have reached the eyed stage and  have now been shocked (addled). The 4th tray is nearing the ATU (Accumulated Thermal Units) where we will see the eggs becoming eyed as the next stage in their life cycle.

To date, survival rates of the fertilized eggs have been excellent which can be a result of many factors including water temperature/quality, handling by staff, disinfection of eggs to equipment and biosecurity. As a reminder to all, water quality can deteriorate from road salts, ice melting products, heavy rains and discharging of spa equipment (pools/hot tubs) to storm drains.The hatchery water supply is fed entirely from Hoy Creek, and harmful substances can effect broodstock mortality in the hatchery as well as the mortality of wild salmon who have spawned in the creek.

HSWS fish trap in Hoy Creek used for broodstock collection. (HSWS photo)

We've been experiencing low water temperatures since late November and this will naturally slow the broodstock's development. In predicting the hatch we calculate ATU's (Accumulated Thermal Units) which are recorded daily. As the eggs approach 448 - 475 ATU, we will see the next stage. The hatch is a result of free oxygen in the egg and as the embryo requires more, it breaks free of the shell but holds on to the yolk sack (food source). 

This next stage is Alevins - more on this in the next update.

Coho fry held in our rearing pond are healthy and at little risk of mortality during this time of year having a higher amount of dissolved oxygen than we would see during warm water temperatures throughout the summer months. However, they are susceptible to environmental conditions such as water quality as mentioned as earlier. The Fry are slower to respond at this time of year due to lower temperatures and when below 6 C, feeding is even withheld due to a slowing metabolic rate in the Fry.

Eggs being prepared for incubation at Hoy Creek Hatchery (Photo:HSWS)

ATUs explained:

ATU stands for Accumulated Thermal Units. This is the method we use to predict when our salmon eggs will hatch, as well as keep track of the progress of our eggs. Here's how it works:

1. On the day the fish are spawned, we measure the water temperature, and record it in the "temp" column in our logs, as well as the ATU column.

2. Each day, the assigned volunteer goes to the hatchery, records the water temperature in the current day "temp" column, and adds it to the previous day's entry in the ATU column.

For example, if the temperature is 9 degrees on Nov. 7 and 9 degrees on Nov. 8, then the ATU would be 18; and if the temperature is 10 degrees on Nov. 9 the new total would = 28 ATUs.

Once this number hits ~ 250 we will know the eggs are eyed and we can clean them. The eggs develop according to water temperature, cooler water, slower development.

In our next update we'll cover the next milestone (Alevin stage) in coho salmon development.

If you have questions or are interested in volunteering with the society, please contact us at hoyscottwatershed@gmail.com.

(Written by Tyler Storgaard, Asst. Hatchery Manager)

Inside the incubation room at Hoy Creek Hatchery. Calculations of broodstock. (HSWS photo)

Earl Elliott recipient of inaugural Hatchery Manager's Award

Left to right: Hoy Creek hatchery manager, Rodney Lee; recipient Earl Elliott and his wife Lilian Elliott, Hoy/Scott Watershed Society director.

On Oct. 20 during the Salmon Come Home event, Hoy Creek Hatchery manager, Rodney Lee awarded the inaugural Hatchery Manager’s Award created to recognize the unparalleled contribution of an individual to the Hoy Creek hatchery.

The distinct honour went to Earl Elliott who has been a Society volunteer since 2006 as well as a past Society Vice President.

Earl working at the Hoy Creek Hatchery in earlier days.

In presenting the award, Rodney Lee said, “Earl has been a valued contributor to the operation of the hatchery. Most importantly, whenever I have needed help with the hatchery, Earl has been there to offer his assistance.”

This has included:

• Routine feeding and maintenance duties

• Bucketing coho smolts in prep for public release at our Salmon Leave Home festival

• Support during our fin clipping sessions

• Sandbagging work to reinforce our lower pond

• Support during annual pond cleanouts

Hatchery Manager Award recipient Earl Elliott (holding his certificate) surrounded by some of the HSWS volunteers at Salmon Come Home.

In addition, Earl has helped with staffing and mentorship for other Society activities such as:

• Manning our display table at public events

• Manning the wheelbarrow during our first series of stream clean-ups and

• Helping with the various weed pulls where we’ve worked with student groups.

“As you can see, it’s not typically the most glamourous work, however, it’s all work that needs to be done to the benefit of the hatchery and our watershed.

Lastly, but most important to me, his involvement kept me going during a critical juncture in the survival of the Society. This has enabled our Society to continue to raise salmon, engage the public and advocate for the Hoy/Scott Watershed.”

Left to right: Rodney Lee, Hoy Creek hatchery manager and HSWS Vice President; Chief Ed Hall, Kwikwetlem First Nation; Lilian Elliott, Director, HSWS; and recipient of the Hatchery Manager’s Award, Earl Elliott. Photo taken during Salmon Come Home on Oct. 20.