Poaching Report in Hoy Creek

Poaching is NOT okay! Over the past week, we heard of accounts of poaching in Hoy Creek. On Friday, Fisheries officers were called out on a report that three males in their early to mid-twenties were taking fish from Hoy Creek and filling a large red cooler with them. Sadly the suspects were not located.

It's ILLEGAL to fish in local streams, which also includes the removal of carcasses (dead fish). Dead or alive, it is illegal to take fish. If you want to fish, you must have a license to fish, and you must know where it's okay to fish.

If you see people fishing at local streams in any way – with a line, net, or anything else, please contact "Report All Poachers and Polluters" (RAPP) and fill out this form.

Or fisheries violations, contact Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) at 1-800-465-4336. You can also contact your local RCMP detachment or municipal police.

Hoy/Scott Watershed Society has information on our Contact Page.

Salmon Come Home Held After One-Year Gap

Salmon Come Home looked a lot different this year with reduced numbers as part of the event plan.

Due to the high demand and limited event space due to Covid event planning guidelines, the Salmon Come Home event, operated in collaboration with the City of Coquitlam was at capacity within a few days of opening registration.

Most years, the City and the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society (HSWS) celebrate the return of salmon to local creeks inviting local environmental groups to take part. That was not the case this year.

“We were excited to have this event back, as the residents so enjoy it,” said the president of the Society, Robbin Whachell. “This year with health guidelines we opted to focus on the salmon, the hatchery and the work of the Society.”

The City handled the registration for a walk-through event highlighting salmon talks with live coho and chum supported by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

DFO representative, Brandon holds a mature live coho salmon.

The reduced attendance, along with the registration created the right mix for a nice steady and easy to manage flow of people. Residents had lots of time to ask questions of HSWS volunteers and lots of space to see the coho fry up close as well as the mature coho and chum.

“We did not have many fish in the stream this year, but a couple of chum held out under the bridge for a good part of the event to the delight of families salmon-spotting,” said Whachell.

Chum salmon can usually be seen into mid-November so there is still time to go out and explore.

Coho salmon run into mid-December. Check out our salmon-spotting tips HERE.

The City has provided a family-fun guide and map of salmon-viewing locations (PDF) along with a scavenger hunt to help you explore nature and enjoy the outdoors.

Check out our Facebook photo album for more images.

Participants learned about the varied work of the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society at Hoy Creek Hatchery.

Kim and Robbin with MLA, forCoquitlam-Burke Mountain Fin Donelly.

HSWS volunteers, Edmond and Ron show off the coho fry at the rearing pond.

Scott from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada with City Councillor Steve Kim.

Former hatchery manager, Rodney Lee speaks to current hatchery manager Tyler Storgaard before heading with other volunteers to conduct the weekly salmon survey of a 500m stretch of Hoy Creek.



We're looking for Volunteers!

Get outdoors and get involved!

The Hoy/Scott Watershed Society is looking for volunteers to support our salmon hatchery and the salmon enhancement work that we do as stewards of Hoy and Scott Creeks.

Examples of how volunteers can get involved:

  • Adult salmon broodstock capture including fish trap and fish fence maintenance

  • Salmon rearing: egg to fry release.

  • Daily feeding or weekly maintenance

  • Invasive species pulls and habitat restoration

  • Talking to the public at open houses or community events

  • Conduct education sessions for school or community groups

  • Stream invertebrate survey

  • Monitor water quality

  • Storm drain marking of city streets that flow into creeks.

Whatever your skills or experience, each one of us uses our work with the Society to give back, learn and experience more.  We learn from each other.  We try to develop skills and experience by taking responsibility for activities and events and can be guided by others that have more experience.  In some cases, we can even launch a new program based on members wanting to drive the creation of a program.

Membership dues cover you under our insurance.

  • $5 for students (non-voting)

  • $15 for individuals

  • $25 for families

Fill out a membership form on our Support page.

Dues can be paid through PayPal on the same page using your credit or debit card.

Once you’ve been added to our insurance, you will be also added to our Hatchery Manager List, and  Tyler Storgaard will contact you with weekly notices about upcoming Saturday work sessions that run 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. 

Curious? Come by an Open House the first Saturday of each month from 10:30 a.m. – 12 noon to learn more.

We are here to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to email us at hoyscottwatershed@gmail.com


Chum Salmon Have Returned to Hoy and Scott Creeks

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The Thanksgiving long weekend was the first sighting of chum salmon returning to the streams. The Hoy/Scott Watershed Society has a salmon survey underway where a group of volunteers head out weekly to assess one area of Hoy Creek. This area is 750m from the Johnson St. pond to the hatchery bridge. Six chum were spotted within a two-hour window in one area.

There has been a steady show since.

This comes as great news as the Society will host the Salmon Come Home event on Sunday, Oct. 24 in partnership with the City of Coquitlam.

Society volunteers will be busy over the upcoming weeks with broodstock collection under the leadership of hatchery manager, Tyler Storgaard.

If you plan to check out the salmon, reference our Salmon Spotting Tips.

Hoy and Scott Creeks Get a Clean at Two Busy Locations

Near the trailhead at Scott Creek Linear Park, before the team split up into two groups.

Hoy/Scott Watershed Society volunteers were out in good number on Sept. 5, so we were able to clean along two Coquitlam streets.

It was a return visit to Scott Creek Linear Park (off Runnel) after a two-year gap, but the crew was able to get a good haul of trash and remove the remains of a homeless camp.

Over at Aberdeen Ave., the crew working there were surprised to see the amount of trash since it had only been one year since the last clean in the area.

“It always amazes us to see the amount of trash being dumped in our parks and streams,” said society president, Robbin Whachell. “It’s rewarding to come out as a group to alleviate what we can.”

The stream clean exercise is conducted annually prior to the fall rains and return of the salmon.

The haul on Aberdeen Ave, Coquitlam.

The City of Coquitlam supported the exercise by having a truck and driver available between both sites for a quick collection of the rubbish.

The haul included a foot soaker, various car parts, part of a bike, a scooter, a ski, a license plate, a pitchfork, a bed frame, garden hose, rope, plastic storage container, ceramics, syringes, carpeting and underlay, a rug, a quilt, clothing, a cooking pot and pan, and the usual fast-food containers. Face masks and cigarettes were the most common item.

The team plans to return to Runnel to get a mattress out of Scott Creek which was well up from the road, and a shopping cart and dresser out of the tunnel below Runnel in Hoy Creek.

View our Facebook photo album.

Volunteers and part of the haul from Runnel Drive.

Mattress in Hoy Creek south of Aberdeen.

Carpet from the Scott Creek Linear Park.


Hatchery Rearing Pond Gets a Face-lift

Photo taken in June 2021 during refurbishments by the City of Coquitlam. (Photo: HSWS)

Thanks to the City of Coquitlam for work on refurbishing the historic rearing pond at Hoy Creek Hatchery. Structural beams were replaced. Read more in the Tri-City News.

The "Optimist Rearing Pond" was originally constructed in 1945 to hold trout on the old Brewer property, and was restored with help from the Coquitlam Optimists to be used to rear salmon. It is an enclosed and screened pond area that is stream-fed. Salmon fry are placed in the pond in May of each year and are raised there until they are released the following May at our 'Salmon Leave Home' event.

The crew from the City of Coquitlam during refurbishments. The decorative dragon fly came down until the new beams were put in. (Photo: HSWS)

The original trout rearing facility on the Frederick Brewer property is today's rearing pond at the Hoy Creek Hatchery. (Photo: HSWS Fonds)

The salmon in the rearing pond are fed daily, and society volunteers regularly check for weight and length.  Water temperatures are also checked daily.

Each May after the salmon smolts are released in to Hoy Creek at our 'Salmon Leave Home' event,  the rearing pond is then drained and cleaned. It's always a surprise to see what's living at the bottom! We usually find crayfish, lampreys, caddisfly nymphs and other invertebrates! They too are released into the creek. 

A look at the rearing pond in the year 2000 (Photo: HSWS Fonds)


10,000 Coho Marked at Hoy Creek Hatchery

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.

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.

Sedation area

Another Spill in Hoy Creek Reported

Photo: Flowlink Environmental

On June 11, a resident reported another spill in Hoy Creek. Later Flowlink Environmental, who was on-site testing water later submitted the photo above.

This inflow area east of Walton Ave just before the footbridge has been a trouble spot over the years. The Society checked the storm drain system via the city’s maps and see that the area is vast up the mountain that flows into this particular inflow drain.

The City of Coquitlam reported that one of their environment bylaw officers and engineering staff inspected the stretch of Hoy Creek near Pinetree Community Centre that afternoon.

“They observed a localized area of sediment suspended in the creek but they were unable to trace the source as the creek directly upstream and downstream was running clear. They also did not see any fish swimming in the affected area so they don’t believe that the fish were impacted.”

Should you see any suspicious activity, from a construction company or individual at a home or commercial space as it relates to storm drains, please contact the authorities. With water running downstream there's a narrow opportunity to source the contaminants. We keep information on who to contact should you see suspicious activity on our contact page of this website.

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HSWS Executive Remains Unchanged after Annual General Meeting

HSWS Executive in front of the rearing pond at Hoy Creek Hatchery. From left to right: Lani Lehun, Tyler Storgaard, Anne Woosnam, Robbin Whachell, Kyle Uno, Emily Rossi and Kim Mayes (Missing from the photo was Rodney Lee and Sandra Uno)

The Hoy/Scott Watershed Society held its annual general meeting on May 19. The meeting, with elections, were held virtually through Zoom conferencing.

Congratulations to returning directors: Kim Mayes, Rodney Lee, Lani Lehun, Anne Woosnam, and Emily Rossi. Also to returning treasurer, Kyle Uno who moves into his third term.

The newly elected join current executive, secretary Sandra Uno, vice president Tyler Storgaard, and president Robbin Whachell.

"I want to thank you all for staying on as our HSWS executive!" said Society president Robbin Whachell. "We're an engaged team. These continue to be very interesting and trying times. It's great to be working together to keep our momentum going as a society and the hatchery operating."

While the society is currently not engaging in any group activities due to the pandemic, the fish are being monitored by daily feeders, the hatchery has weekly check-ins by management, and all is being overseen by the Department of Fisheries & Oceans.

Hoy - Scott Watershed Society, (HSWS) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run environmental stewardship group, that conducts a salmon enhancement program in partnership with the City of Coquitlam, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Coho Smolts Released at Hoy Creek Hatchery

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Another year without fanfare as over 2700 coho smolts have now transitioned to Hoy Creek.

The rearing pond at Hoy Creek Hatchery was opened to release the fingerlings on Saturday, May 23 by hatchery manager, Tyler Storgaard. He was assisted by Hoy/Scott Watershed Society director, Kim Mayes.

Due to the pandemic, the usual Salmon Leave Home festival was once again canceled.

The rearing pond will be cleaned over the coming days and will be filled again so the coho salmon fry in the hatchery Capilano trough can be moved into it.

We often find crayfish when we lower the water and this year we did again. The crayfish was moved over to the stream.


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