Volunteer anglers and hatchery staff work together in the hatchery steelhead program (Photo: Rodney Hsu).

After a slow start, the Chilliwack River steelhead broodstock capture program has picked up its momentum after a week of productive fishing.

Each winter, volunteer anglers participate in this successful broodstock capture program. 70 fish, 35 of each gender, are required for each season's hatchery program. Participants carry a capture tube, where the wild steelhead is placed in when landed while fishing. The fish are then transported into a hatchery truck, which then takes them up to the Chilliwack River Hatchery.

Here is a video that demonstrates how the fish is transported.

According to Peter Buck, a hatchery staff, 12 male and 18 female steelhead have been captured for the hatchery as of January 30th.

The Chilliwack River hatchery steelhead program is the largest in the Lower Mainland, which provides good steelhead angling opportunities between December and May.

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