By Albert Nomura

The biggest attraction in British Columbia for both the locals and tourists is definitely the annual return of the sockeye salmon. Every late summer and early autumn, spawning channels will be paved in red by these beautiful anadromous fish. These spawning adults will dig up redds and give life to the next generation. The newly hatched juveniles will spend up to four years in the freshwater before migrating into the ocean. Their ocean life lasts between one to four years before returning into their birth streams. Most sockeyes weigh between 6 to 8 pounds, while the odd monstrous ones up to 15 pounds can also be found. On September 30th, avid angler and forestry biologist Albert Nomura had the chance to witness this grand event at Weaver Creek. Below is a brief report after his visit:

I checked out the spawning channel and found a good mix of Sockeye, Pink and Chum salmon, although the numbers were low. The peak season for the Sockeye is apparently mid-late October so I was there too early. At the far end of the channel where salmon enter from the actual Weaver Creek, there’s a small fishway/ladder set up, and you can watch the salmon as they make their way up. I was cheering for the salmon as they struggled up the fish ladders. One sad note is that they only let 2000 pinks and 2000 chum enter the spawning channel (because too many salmon in the channel would dig up each other’s nests); the rest are apparently captured and sold (can you say catfood?) to make money to support the spawning channel – all this is explained on the information boards at the site. All in all, a great place to take people to appreciate these wonderful animals.