Sooke Hatchery Gets Funding For Upgrade

August 11, 2020

SOOKE – Future generations of wild salmon in the Salish Sea are being supported through the federal and provincial governments’ funding of the Creation of Salmon Conservation Facility in Sooke.

The conservation facility will lead to the potential for better salmon-stock assessment capability in the redesigned and enhanced Sooke River Jack Brooks Hatchery. It will also feature upgraded effluent treatment equipment, reduced power consumption and community engagement in protecting wild salmon. It will be owned and operated by the Juan de Fuca Salmon Restoration Society, in partnership with the Sooke Salmon Enhancement Society.

The main project components include:

  • equipment to support the marking of hatchery fry, so they can be identified in later life stages and provide valuable scientific information to support the management and restoration of Pacific salmon;
  • creation of an effective aeration system customized for community-run hatcheries. The systems ensure the oxygen and nitrogen levels in the hatchery water are optimal for the holding of broodstock (mature animals used in aquaculture for breeding purposes), harvesting of eggs and growth of salmon fry, but are designed at a smaller, cost-effective, efficient scale than commercially developed and sold systems;
  • an effluent treatment system that ensures only clean water leaves the hatchery; and
  • cross-cultural learning opportunities for volunteer stewards, as well as Indigenous and academic partners.

The project will provide strategies, methodology and cost-effective procedures for other hatcheries to follow in meeting expanded requirements, as more and more British Columbians become involved in supporting wild salmon.

“This facility will stand as a testament demonstrating the environmental legacy that can be produced when government funding assistance and our myriad of dedicated volunteers join forces to work together for Pacific salmon and our ecosystem,” said Elida Peers, secretary-treasurer, Juan de Fuca Salmon Restoration Society.

BCSRIF is one part of the B.C. government’s response to the Wild Salmon Advisory Council’s recommendations to develop made-in-BC solutions to support wild salmon.

 

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