Hatchery
Return to the Wild
The time came last week for thousands of fish raised in Shawnigan’s Mark Hobson Hatchery to be released into the wild.
Months after they were propagated from fish caught in nearby Shawnigan Creek, more than 5,000 coho salmon fry were released into Hartl Creek, which cuts across campus, by students from Science 9 and Environmental Science 11 and 12 classes. Since last fall, the tiny fish have been growing under the watchful eye of those students until they were ready for freedom.
The eggs that were fertilized last fall hatched into alevin — a phase where they are still carrying yolk — then grew into fry in March, at which point they were transferred into larger tanks, a process known as “ponding.” Once in those tanks, the fry needed to be fed. This year, the School tried a different process, feeding the fish by hand, which seemed to work well as the fry grew strong and healthy. Despite a couple of setbacks in the form of pump failures, the hatchery still produced several thousand fry to help replenish the wild population.
As the fish grew in the hatchery, two students, Zoë B. and Bea H., worked on a fry enrichment study that has been accepted into the Japan Super Science Fair for next fall. Previous studies have shown that hatchery-raised fry are not as intelligent as wild fry, especially when it comes to fearing predators. Evidence suggests, however, that salmon raised in tanks with some sort of structure that they can explore or hide in fare better after they are released.
Zoë B. and Bea H. put that theory to the test, comparing things like mass, length and swim speed between fry raised in tanks with and without structures. The information gleaned could be beneficial to Shawnigan and to other hatchery programs.
“We’re trying to raise fish not just for people to catch, but to help enrich the population,” environmental science teacher Ms. Laura Robson points out.
The fry release was a particularly “joyous, happy time” for the students, especially those who were joined by children from the Montessori Preschool on campus and staff kids.
With students coming to the School from all over BC, Canada and the world, place-based experiences like raising and releasing salmon are a vital part of the Shawnigan Journey, helping connect students with Vancouver Island and coastal BC, and teaching them how salmon are integral to both the ecosystem and the region’s cultural history.
“It’s a really special interaction with fish,” Ms. Robson comments. “The hope is that they gain an appreciation for the role salmon play.”
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 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
