Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC
Spawning FFSBC
Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC
The FFSBC has two main trout spawning programs that support recreational fisheries in BC: wild and domestic. The Society taps into the natural resources of BC to gather eggs from healthy wild stocks to release into numerous lakes, and provide varied recreational fishing. The Society also maintains a captive domestic broodstock that supports urban lake stocking programs, such as Learn to Fish and Fishing in the City. Both programs are aimed at supporting all types of fishing experiences for every level of angling ability.
In the domestic broodstock program, a strict adherence to breeding plans ensures that our fish have a broad genetic base. Fish health and welfare of the broodstock are important so that the FFSBC can provide healthy, disease-free, catchable trout to urban lakes, where they can adapt well to the local conditions, grow quickly, and thrive.
Each year, offspring from single-pair matings – milt from one male to eggs of one female – form a ‘family group’ and are raised from egg to fry, just like any fish in the hatchery. The family groups are combined to form the broodstock population, and are grown for three years before reaching sexual maturity for the first time. In their third year, the broodstock are fed a special high-quality diet that helps the fish and their eggs become healthy and robust. At spawning time, the fish develop a bright red stripe that extends from their cheeks to their tail, and they become rounder as the eggs grow inside.
When the fish are fully mature, the fish culturists check the condition of the fish to determine how close they are to releasing their eggs. When fully ripe, the fish are placed in special containers to facilitate handling and care until the arrival of spawning day.
When the fish culturists have enough ripe fish, they anaesthetize the fish to immobilize them, lift them from the water, and express the eggs by gently compressing the abdomen from the head of the fish towards the tail. When the eggs are ripe, they flow easily out the vent, and are collected in a container. The fish culturist examines the eggs for colour, size, and consistency. If perfect, the eggs are fertilized using fresh milt from male fish. An activation medium is added to ensure complete fertilization. The fertilized eggs are then disinfected using an iodine-based solution to ensure that they are clean before going into incubation. The life cycle of the fish is continued for generations – now over 20 for FFSBC’s domestic broodstock.