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A Springtime Tradition
A unique springtime tradition at Shawnigan continued this week as students released several hundred coho salmon fry into Shawnigan Creek to begin their lives in the wild.
While many schools in BC incorporate the life cycle of the salmon into their programs, Shawnigan is unique in that these fish were born and bred in our on-campus hatchery, something no other school in the province has. Programs centred on the hatchery help students learn more about the life cycle of the coho salmon, the ecology of Vancouver Island and the west coast, and countless other scientific concepts.
The salmon used to breed the fry were harvested last fall during their return migration to Mill Bay Creek, then taken to the School where Grade 9 science students and Grade 11 environmental science students harvested their eggs and sperm. For the last several months, students have nurtured them inside the Mark Hobson Hatchery from fertilized eggs to alevin and then to fry, ready to live on their own.
About 1,600 fry were released this year. That number is down from previous years, but only because fewer fish were used for the egg take last fall – five females and five males. “We had some significant losses in egg fertilization,” Environmental Lead and Horticulturalist Ms. Patricia Hanbidge noted. “But really no loss of fry life once they were ponded.”
After being released, the salmon will spend time in the creek until they are ready to head out to the Salish Sea and beyond. After a few years swimming in the Pacific Ocean, they will return to the creek to breed and continue the life cycle.
The hatchery was established in 1980 by Mr. Mark Hobson ’70 (Groves’), a Shawnigan graduate who returned to teach science and run the outdoors program. Mr. Hobson spent nine years teaching at the School, and now paints and runs an art gallery in Tofino. More information about his artwork can be found at markhobson.com.
The fish were released in multiple batches on Wednesday by Grade 11 environmental science students – with one class being accompanied by children from the Montessori preschool on campus – as well as the Growing Green, Outdoor Leadership and Development Club, and Fly Tying 360 groups. The Growing Green, OLD Club and Fly Tying groups also released rainbow trout into Lake Omar.
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 12 –18 on Canada’s beautiful Pacific Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
