We have continued our efforts to breed the returning Coho in Chapman Creek this fall. We have had a strong return run, with sufficient Coho diverting to our trap to allow us to build up a good number of Coho eggs to care for over the winter. Our first take resulted in over 13,500 Coho (from five mothers), and the second take was 5900 eggs (all those from just two moms!). We will continue to breed the Coho as the run continues, with likely 1-2 more egg taking sessions needed to maximize our Coho count.
We have initiated a new project to implement a back up generator system for the entire hatchery infrastructure. We will be purchasing a 48KW generator which is large enough to maintain all operations, all water flowing, and all measuring and alerting technologies, even if there is no power available from BC Hydro. This is an essential upgrade that will allow us to keep our fish safe and well supported with water flowing any time during power outages. This also ensures we we can access well water when necessary during low water levels on the Creek. This past summer we needed to run the well pumps for four weeks as during that period the wells were our only source of water while we worked on the water infrastructure in the facility. We expect the generator and associated infrastructure to be installed and operational before 31 March 2024.
