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Local salmonids spark salmon knowledge

By Hannah Scott, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Published 4:22 PST, Mon January 27, 2020

Last Updated: 2:13 PDT, Wed May 12, 2021

Salmon are a big part of BC’s marine ecosystem. So what better way for school-aged children to learn about them than by watching them grow up?

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site in Steveston currently has a tank of young salmon on their way to being reinitiated into nature. 

Recently, the eggs have hatched into alevin, whose yolk sacs are still attached to them. They use these sacs for nourishment and later reabsorb them when they develop into fry. When the fish have become fry, they are released to a local creek.

Mimi Horita, the cannery’s marketing and visitor services manager, says the alevin will become fry in about three weeks. The eggs came from Little Campbell Hatchery in Surrey, and the fry will be released there as well. The cannery released fry in the same location two years ago.

The tank at the cannery is part of the “Salmonids in the Classroom” initiative, a Fisheries and Oceans Canada project intended to give school-aged children a hands-on look at the salmon life cycle. An additional benefit of the program is the increased numbers of salmon in our local streams.

Janine Malikian, communications advisor for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, says the classroom incubation project has benefited thousands of BC and Yukon children, who are able to care for and monitor the eggs. As a result, kids become “aquatic stewards,” she explains, gaining knowledge that will help them protect local watersheds.

The project also focuses on sustainability and stewardship, helping to teach children that we are part of larger ecosystems and must protect the resources around us—including other living organisms.

Salmon are a precious resource. Through programs like “Salmonids in the Classroom,” Canadians can help to protect our aquatic ecosystems and contribute to the survival of salmon.

Horita says cannery visitors have already shown a keen interest in the salmon tank, although it is covered up to protect the sensitive eyes of the alevin. Many visitors have commented that the freshly hatched salmonids are “cute.”

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