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The Kingfisher
Community Hatchery, located in the area between Enderby and Mabel Lake, sponsors one of
the most successful Salmon Enhancement programs in the country. Early in the nineteenth
century, many activities prevented the salmon from entering their spawning area. Many fish
were caught for canneries, while others were killed when the river was blocked from
minings, dams, and bed scouring. Soon there were no fish left to catch, and this is when
the people of Kingfisher got involved, inspired by a Salmon Arm classroom project.
In the year 1981, a few concerned inhabitants became involved in the Salmon Enhancement
Program to raise public awareness. Now, ten years later, there are twelve active members,
including Neil Brookes, the Kingfisher Community Hatchery manager, and thirty other
members that meet the first Tuesday of every month.
Starting out was tough, as the volunteers had little money, and very few sponsors to help
them out. They began with two small incubator boxes; today they have a floating hatchery.
They raise trout as well as salmon eggs.
They start out by catching some of the male and female specimens for their sperm and egs.
This is accomplished by "beach snagging", when the fish are trapped on the sand,
or by netting fish from an aluminum boat. Next, the many volunteers work to cut open the
females and scoop out the millions of eggs. The eggs are then fertilized with the sperm.
Now nature takes its course as no chemicals are used to speed up growth.
The cassette incubators are covered with a window screen and lowered into the water. This
method requires no electricity, so it costs almost nothing. Now the temperature of the
water determines when the eggs hatch, and the closest to natural temperature is required
for the best results.
Although many eggs are set in the river, a limit is set for a small hatchery because the
bigger the production, the greater the risk of disease. The eggs, which are fertilized
around October, hatch in February, and are fed until June. The small alevin feed every
half hour. Then they gradually move to every hour, then every two hours. The hatchery
usually goes through eighteen bags of food per year (at $56 a bag), the only thing
supplied by the federal government. Before being released the alevin must be
"buttoned up": that is when the yolk sac is used up and falls off. At this time
they are approximately four grams and are ready to be released. Provincially, of every
five thousand alevin released, only two will return to spawn. Kingfisher Community
Hatchery's survival rate is an excellent fifteen percent.
The Kingfisher Hatchery has had very few difficulties, and has been very successful in the
past ten years. One year Neil Brookes remembers losing fifteen thousand fish in the
rearing trough but still managed to set some free. In the beginning they released 10,000
alevin per year, and now 250,000 are released per year. To date, a million fish have been
released. Their success is indicated by the reopening this year of Mabel Lake near
Kingfisher for fishing.
The volunteers consider themselves "Bioregionalists of the Heart", and are very
proud of their accomplishments. It is a positive environmental action that sets a great
example for the rest of us. In this past year eight hundred volunteer hours were spent at
the Kingfisher Community Hatchery. One result of their hard work is the involvement of the
nearby schools. For about five years, fifteen different schools have toured the hatchery,
learning more about the life cycle and importance of the fish to our environment. Another
aspect the students learn is what they can do to help. "It's a project to take pride
in," stated Neil Brookes.
Sheryl McCaig, Erika Whitehead
ALF School 1989