The Sooke Basin’s underwater population is in line for a big boost in salmon in the next two months.
The South Vancouver Island Anglers Association is preparing to release 650,000 chinook fry in two batches in May and June.
“This is a really good news project; we’re excited,” said SVIAC president Chris Bos. “This is the seventh year we’ve done this, and four million healthy fish have been released. It’s a community-based project that includes people from Sooke and the T’Sou-ke First Nation. We’re putting fish in to help feed the endangered South Island killer whale population and help support local fisheries.”
The fry will be trucked in from the Department of Fisheries and Ocean’s Nitinat River Hatchery in Port Renfrew and kept in a large metal pen with two nets.
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“We’ll be looking after the fish for about six weeks while they acclimatize and super-feed so they’re released in peak condition,” Bos said.
The first release is planned for the third week of May and the second for about the middle of June.
The SVICA, founded in 2012, is completely volunteer-driven and funded through money donated by local businesses and the community.
“So many local businesses and people in the community are involved in fishing,” Bos said. “We’re always looking for volunteers and donations to support our work.”
Anyone interested in stepping up can call Bos at 778-967-2363, or drop him a line at chris@anglerscoalition.com.
For more on the SVIAC, visit anglerscoalition.com.
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