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Mojo Tours
There are many opportunities to observe the salmon. Mojo Tours
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Sockeye – and other species – return to Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park by the masses. Destination BC/Chun Lee
Words by Steve Fennell
More than 200,000 people from all over the world will be visiting Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park from September 28 to October 21 to experience The Salute to the Sockeye, a one-of-a-kind, biological event that will be celebrating the dominant year of sockeye salmon as they return to the spawning grounds by the masses.
Presented by The Adams River Salmon Society, this special moment takes place every four years when the sockeye end its life cycle, which includes the moment from when they lay their eggs and mature, to when they make their way to the Pacific Ocean and return to the river to spawn again. It's also common to see other wild Pacific salmon such as coho, chinook and the occasional pink.
“Salmon always come back to the same spawning grounds every year,” says Darlene Koss, Administration Coordinator for The Adams Rivers Salmon Society. “Every fourth year is the dominant year and visitors can observe the largest sockeye salmon run. Its been known that some even come back to inches of where they themselves were hatched.”
With accessible trails along the water and an expansive viewing platform, visitors can take self-guided tours or join interpretive walking tours guided by members of The Adams River Salmon Society, BC Parks as well as Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). During these tours, many details are explained about the environment, the salmon and their life cycle.
Visitors can also enjoy presentations in the Interpretive Cabin featuring story boards detailing the history and life cycle of salmon plus life-size replicas of both male and female species, illustrating the biology and anatomy. Some other highlights include a variety of artisan exhibits with event-related crafts, plus food vendors serving traditional indigenous foods, salmon burgers, hamburgers, and soups and salads.
“Some of the trails are very short and wheel chair accessible,” says Koss. “If you are a real hiker, there’s a mile-long hike to take as well. You don’t need to be an extreme hiker to enjoy the salmon run. It’s really great for kids, adults and seniors.”
New Highlights for 2018
To further commemorate the Salute to the Sockeye, plans are in the works for The Adams River Salmon Society to provide live streaming of the salmon spawning thanks to a grant provided by the Pacific Salmon Foundation.
“With this support, we are able to purchase an underwater camera and establish a live feed to capture the spawning as its happening, right on our website,” says Koss. “This is something we haven’t been able to do before.”
Another highlight during the course of the event is the Shuswap Salmon Symposium conference scheduled for September 30 at The Quaaout Lodge & Spa, located just outside of Chase. Hosted in partnership with The Little Shuswap Lake Indian Band and The Adams River Salmon Society, The Symposium is “a knowledge-sharing opportunity” of salmon conservation with interactive workshops and world-class speakers.
For more details about the Shuswap Salmon Symposium visit www. linkedevents.net/chase/shuswap-salmon-symposium-2018/ and for more details on Salute to the Sockeye visit www.salmonsociety.com. You can also follow updates of the event at www.facebook.com/AdamsRiverSalmonSociety.
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