About 20,000 chinook salmon fry released into Swift Creek

By Spencer Hall

Salmon Release 2024
Kasey, Sophia, and Dustin Snyder sit on a rock along the edge of Swift Creek, ready to release thousands of endangered Chinook Salmon fry into the creek. Snyder, a member of the Salmon Support Team with Spruce City Wildlife Association, told attendees of the Salmon Release that the survival rate of the fry raised in their hatchery have an 85 to 90 per cent chance of survival, compared to a survival rate of five to 15 per cent of fry in the wild. The team harvests eggs from salmon to raise them in their hatchery to conserve the species.

“We go to a variety of streams throughout the upper and middle Fraser. We collect brood stock, which means we capture the adults. We take the eggs in the milk, we bring them back to our facility in Prince George, and we raise them there until they get to a certain size and we get to the right time of year, which is right now. We go back to that natal stream and we release them. The reason why we’re doing this is as part of a rebuilding program for conservation,” Snyder said. /Spencer Hall
The bridge at George Hicks Regional Park was a popular place among attendees to view the release, filling up well before the release began. According to Spruce City Wildlife Association, over 250 people attended the event. /Spencer Hall
Volunteers with the Salmon Support Team stand with the tank of chinook fry moments before releasing the fish into Swift Creek. Spruce City Wildlife Association said it was volunteers like these who “worked tirelessly over the last 10 months to ensure the healthy growth of this endangered species.” /Spencer Hall
After being released into the creek, the fry quickly began searching for food. The fry favoured still, shadowy areas in the water, like the underside of this rock. /Spencer Hall
The salmon fry weren’t the only ones who were hungry. Hot dogs, chips, water, and juice boxes were provided by the Valemount IGA. Lenora Dunphy and Tanya Russell with Tourism Valemount stand by the grill ready to hand out hot dogs. /Spencer Hall
Locklan was one of many local children who had the opportunity to release salmon fry back into their natal habitat of Swift Creek via water slide. /Spencer Hall

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