Rodney Lee

Spawner Survey Report for 2023

Our spawner survey crew recently got some hands on experience with bio sampling salmon carcasses. (HSWS photo)

Hoy/Scott Watershed Society director, Rodney Lee led our spawner survey for 2023.

Seven of our volunteers assisted in 13 surveys and put in a total of 40.5 hours.

Spawner surveys are a basic form of stock assessment where the data can be used to gauge the health of salmon returns. In short, we walk the creek and count live and dead salmon (by species) to get a sense of the number of returning fish. Data is submitted to the Streamkeeper’s database as well as to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).

Participants walk in chest waders in and around the stream including stepping over fallen trees, walking on in-stream rocks and muddy banks, and crouching under overhanging tree branches to identify salmon species targeting chum and coho but occasionally other species (chinook, pink) may have been seen.

The weekly survey area was the stretch of Hoy Creek from the Johnson St. pool (between Glen and Guildford) to Hoy Creek Hatchery in Coquitlam and statistics were taken from October through to January.

Here are the survey details which provide totals of carcasses for chum and coho, as well as peak live counts. We have compared them to our 2021 and 2022 results in the chart below.

Volunteers measure the salmon and record findings. (HSWS photo)

2023 Spawner Survey Data and Comparison to 2022 and 2021

*Please note that this exercise is not a population estimate and annual results can be affected by several factors including weather patterns.

NOTE: Should you see salmon in the creek that have been cut in half, or have the tail or head cut off, from October through December that could mean those salmon have been marked for the annual Salmon Spawner Survey. We count live and dead fish weekly in a designated stretch of the stream. The dead salmon are cut as to not double count the dead fish the next week. This helps get an absolute count of salmon that have spawned in a particular area of a stream.

2023 AGM and Elections Held

Meet our executive team for the next year! Left to right: Kim Mayes, Director; Robbin Whachell, Director; Tyler Storgaard, Vice President; Matthew Watts, Director; Sandra Uno, Treasurer; and Kyle Uno, President. (Missing: Anne Woosnam, Secretary)

The Hoy-Scott Watershed Society held an annual general meeting on Sept. 27, 2023, at the Coquitlam library and voted in the following new directors who were re-appointed to the executive:

Director - Kim Mayes

Director - Matthew Watts

Director - Robbin Whachell

The three join the existing executive:

President - Kyle Uno

Vice President - Tyler Storgaard

Treasurer - Sandra Uno

Secretary - Anne Woosnam

The Society would like to thank Rodney Lee who stepped down after years of supporting the executive in a variety of positions. He will remain an active member.

Through stewardship, community outreach, education and advocacy, we are dedicated to protecting the Hoy/Scott Watershed.

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society, (HSWS) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run environmental stewardship group, that conducts a year-round salmon enhancement program in partnership with the City of Coquitlam, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

President Kyle Uno (left) gives an annual report, as treasurer Sandra Uno (center) takes minutes in the absence of Anne Woosnam. Director Kim Mayes looks on.


Salmon Released by the Public at Hoy Creek Hatchery

A girl releases a Coho smolt into Hoy Creek at Salmon Leave Home at Hoy Creek Hatchery. (HSWS Photo)

Hoy/Scott Watershed Society (HSWS) held its annual Salmon Leave Home event on May 14, and was pleased to return to a public release of the approximately 18-month-old Coho smolts that have been living in the outdoor rearing pond since last May. This was the first time since 2019 that the public was able to assist with the salmon release, due to the pandemic.

The Society moved the event time to the afternoon to give families time to celebrate Mom (it was Mother’s Day). Weather conditions were hot with a high of 32C, but despite that, a steady stream of people came through the Hoy Creek Hatchery area. To the delight of many, wild Coho fry were visible from the footbridge.

The community had the opportunity to carry a bucket of Coho smolts to Hoy Creek for release; take a peek at the six-month-old Coho fry in the hatchery’s Capilano trough room; meet the volunteers and learn about the Society; make a Mother's Day greeting card using leaves; play the Plinko game and get salmon past predators to saltwater safety; sign a Farewell to the Coho Grads of 2023 card; sign a pledge to protect the salmon; and explore Hoy Creek Linear Park.

After a Land Acknowledgement by HSWS president, Kyle Uno, the MLA for Coquitlam-Burke Mountain, Fin Donnelly provided a few words before Kyle presented Keith Kozak, the Society’s first president, with a certificate of appreciation and a gift. Keith spoke about the early years of getting the Society up and running.

The event was supported by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, with Isaac Nelson overseeing the fish release.

The Society would like to thank all its volunteers for the time spent supporting the event, and the community who came out to help. A special thank you to the event sponsor, the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program!

Salmon Leave Home 2023 'unofficial' photo: Thanks to our HSWS volunteers who were manning our areas of the event so that some of us could gather for a group photo with our special guests.

Back row, left to right: Tyler Storgaard, Isaac Nelson (DFO), Hannah Tonsaker; Matthew Watts; Henrietta Hamming (wife of the late Chris Hamming, HSWS founder); Robbin Whachell; Keith Kozak (founding member/HSWS first president); and Rodney Lee.

Front row, Fin Donnelly, MLA; and Kyle Uno, current HSWS president.



Juvenile Trapping Exercise Conducted in Hoy Creek

Hannah and Aiden set the traps in Hoy Creek.

Juvenile trapping involves baiting gee minnow traps and having them soak overnight in various locations in the creek to survey what’s present in those locations. A trapping activity can provide an understanding of:

  • What types of fish are present in the creek?

  • How big are the fish?

  • Are they hatchery-raised fish or wild fish?

  • Where do hatchery released Coho end up?

  • Where are these fish located?

  • What areas of the creek do they use?

  • How healthy do the fish appear?

Outside of some limited gee trapping to remove fish from the lower pond prior to sediment removal, this may have been the first series of juvenile trapping conducted by the Society.

The process started back in February with the application to the Department of Fisheries & Oceans (DFO) for a scientific license to trap for fish. The Society was issued a permit in March however the unstable weather conditions through much of March and April prevented us from getting out and trapping earlier.

The time of year that trapping is conducted is important as different times of year have different life stages for fish. For example, when trapping in April, we wouldn’t expect to see Chum fry present but would expect to see Coho fry as well as Coho parr/pre-smolts. As we get to the summer months, June through August, we might start to see trout fry (Cutthroat, Rainbow). Trout parr could be observed throughout the year.

The last weekend in April finally presented suitable weather conditions for us to trap. At the suggestion of Connie Boulos, Maple Creek Streamkeepers, we used salmon-flavoured wet cat food for our bait balls (tied up with cheesecloth). The Maple Creek Streamkeepers have conducted many years of juvenile trapping to understand what’s present in Maple Creek.

Hoy/Scott Watershed Society members, Rodney, Hannah and Aiden set traps on Friday night. Locations were selected that were deep enough to fully submerge the trap as well as have slow water to prevent fish from getting trapped, exhausted and die because of water that is too fast and fish being held too long.

Then, Hannah and Rodney retrieved the traps on Saturday night and gathered data on what was captured including species identification, length, and, in the case of Coho, hatchery or wild.

Overall observations: A few beautiful cutthroat trout parr were encountered in the fish trap pool behind the fire hall. At all other trapping locations, we encountered wild Coho parr/pre-smolts that appeared good and healthy.

When trapping is conducted year over year, it can be used to get a profile of the fish present – year-over-year, helping us observe changes in the # of fish encountered, the health of fish, and trends in the size of fish encountered. This data will become part of the data record for Hoy and Scott Creeks and could be used in the future to understand the trends in fish population ranges, sizes and health.

This was only the first trapping session in the season. Added sessions are planned:

  1. to trap the upper reaches of Hoy and Scott creeks prior to any hatchery fry releases as well as prior to smolt out-migration to see if any of the previously released hatchery fry were still present as pre-smolts in the release locations;

  2. re-trap the existing areas to see what new species are encountered as the season progresses.

  3. and also, to understand the prevalence of any wild fish present in those locations.

Spawner Survey Report for 2022

Coho counted in annual spawner survey (HSWS photo)

Hoy/Scott Watershed Society director, Rodney Lee led our spawner survey for 2022. Assisting him this year were Matthew Watts, Krista Englund and Travis Smith.

Spawner surveys are a basic form of stock assessment where the data can be used to gauge the health of salmon returns. In short, we walk the creek and count live and dead salmon (by species) to get a sense of the number of returning fish. Data is submitted to the Streamkeeper’s database as well as to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).

Participants walk in chest waders in and around the stream including stepping over fallen trees, walking on in-stream rocks and muddy banks, and crouching under overhanging tree branches to identify salmon species targeting chum and coho but occasionally other species (chinook, pink) may have been seen.

The weekly survey area was the stretch of Hoy Creek from the Johnson St. pool (between Glen and Guildford) to Hoy Creek Hatchery in Coquitlam and statistics were taken from Oct. 24 to Dec. 17.

Here are the survey details which provide totals of carcasses for chum and coho, as well as peak live counts. We have compared them to our 2021 results in the chart below.

NOTE: Should you see salmon in the creek that have been cut in half, or have the tail or head cut off, from October through December that could mean those salmon have been marked for the annual Salmon Spawner Survey. We count live and dead fish weekly in a designated stretch of the stream. The dead salmon are cut as to not double count the dead fish the next week. This helps get an absolute count of salmon that have spawned in a particular area of a stream.

New Executive for Hoy/Scott Watershed Society

The new executive of the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society 2022. Seen left to right: Robbin Whachell, Director; Anne Woosnam, Secretary; Kim Mayes, Director; Matthew Watts, Director; Sandra Uno, Treasurer; Kyle Uno, President; Rodney Lee, Director; Samantha Carpenter, Director; and Tyler Storgaard, Vice President. (Photo: HSWS)

The Hoy/Scott Watershed Society held its annual general meeting on May 18. The meeting, with elections, were held virtually through Zoom conferencing.

The new executive is as follows:

  • President: Kyle Uno

  • Vice President: Tyler Storgaard

  • Treasurer: Sandra Uno

  • Secretary: Anne Woosnam

  • Directors: Rodney Lee, Robbin Whachell, Kim Mayes, Matthew Watts and Sam Carpenter

Thanked after serving three terms as secretary and one year as a director is Emily Rossi. Lani Lehun was also thanked for her years as a director and work as the past assistant hatchery manager. Anne Woosnam steps in as the new assistant hatchery manager, as announced by hatchery manager, Tyler Storgaard.

The Society is looking forward to input and enthusiasm from new executive members and will be getting together for a planning meeting to review the year ahead.

The photo above was taken after work digging invertebrates from the hatchery rearing pond which is now empty and drained. The coho smolts were released on May 14 and the pond will be cleaned and refilled to soon house the 2021/22 coho fry until release in May 2023.

Hoy - Scott Watershed Society, (HSWS) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run environmental stewardship group, that conducts a salmon enhancement program in partnership with the City of Coquitlam, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

 

Coho Off to Sea After Successful Salmon Leave Home Event

It's off to see until you are three! We'll see you again when you are all grown, and return to make your little ones a home. – A resident poses with his four-legged friend in front of our selfie-station. (Photo: HSWS)

Thanks to those who came to our Freshwater Hoy School Graduation of our cohos of 2022!

Our Salmon Leave Home 2022 theme was Keeping Salmon Safe, focusing on the health and life-cycle of the salmon, as well as the health of the riparian area. The event took place at Hoy Creek Hatchery on May 14.

Visitors were able to sign a bon voyage card for the salmon, pledge stating what they could do to protect the fish, take a photo in front of a selfie station and play the Plinko game trying to get their salmon to saltwater safety. Coho fry were on display and Rodney Lee provided salmon education. Families learned about the hatchery and salmon life-cycle as well identification of invasive plants for Invasive Species Awareness Month.

Rodney Lee, HSWS Director provides salmon education. (Photo: HSWS)

The first 18 months of the life history of the coho salmon is spent in a freshwater stream environment. HSWS volunteers incubate coho eggs and rear fry to the smolt stage in our rearing pond. From the creek, the smolts begin their journey to the ocean: Hoy Creek → Scott Creek → Coquitlam River → Fraser River → Strait of Georgia / Pacific Ocean!

In alignment with our theme, Keeping Salmon Safe, we did not do our usual salmon release with buckets. Our coho had a tough winter and our aim is to reduce their stress.

HSWS volunteer, Jo assists a Coquitlam family with the salmon Plinko game. (Photo: HSWS)

Coho Smolts Released to Hoy Creek

Following the Salmon Leave Home event, we were able to release our coho smolts from the rearing pond – a pure coincidence with the event! This took place by lifting the boards between the rearing pond and the creek channel.

“Our objective was to time the release with high water and steady flows to ensure the smolts could have a safe run out,” said hatchery manager, Tyler Storgaard. “The conditions on the day of the event were good.”

2740 smolts were released with an average weight of 18.9g. It takes the smolts anywhere from two to seven days to make it out to sea.

View more photos on our Facebook page.

HSWS Executive Remains Unchanged after Annual General Meeting

HSWS Executive in front of the rearing pond at Hoy Creek Hatchery. From left to right: Lani Lehun, Tyler Storgaard, Anne Woosnam, Robbin Whachell, Kyle Uno, Emily Rossi and Kim Mayes (Missing from the photo was Rodney Lee and Sandra Uno)

The Hoy/Scott Watershed Society held its annual general meeting on May 19. The meeting, with elections, were held virtually through Zoom conferencing.

Congratulations to returning directors: Kim Mayes, Rodney Lee, Lani Lehun, Anne Woosnam, and Emily Rossi. Also to returning treasurer, Kyle Uno who moves into his third term.

The newly elected join current executive, secretary Sandra Uno, vice president Tyler Storgaard, and president Robbin Whachell.

"I want to thank you all for staying on as our HSWS executive!" said Society president Robbin Whachell. "We're an engaged team. These continue to be very interesting and trying times. It's great to be working together to keep our momentum going as a society and the hatchery operating."

While the society is currently not engaging in any group activities due to the pandemic, the fish are being monitored by daily feeders, the hatchery has weekly check-ins by management, and all is being overseen by the Department of Fisheries & Oceans.

Hoy - Scott Watershed Society, (HSWS) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run environmental stewardship group, that conducts a salmon enhancement program in partnership with the City of Coquitlam, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

HSWS Continues Adults Salmon Spawner Survey in 2020

Rodney Lee, (right) speaks to three of the four volunteers (left to right: Anne Woosman, Jerome Cho, and Hannah Blanchard about that day’s spawner survey tasks.

Rodney Lee, (right) speaks to three of the four volunteers (left to right: Anne Woosman, Jerome Cho, and Hannah Blanchard about that day’s spawner survey tasks.

Former hatchery manager and Hoy/Scott Watershed Society director, Rodney Lee led a spawner survey in 2020.

Spawner surveys are a basic form of stock assessment where the data can be used to gauge the health of salmon returns. In short, we walk the creek and count live and dead salmon (by species) to get a sense for the number of returning fish. Data is submitted to the Streamkeeper’s database as well as to the DFO.

Four of our volunteers participated and went out each Saturday between Sept. 26 and Nov. 7. Participants had to walk in chest waders in and around the stream including stepping over fallen trees, walking on in-stream rocks and muddy banks, and crouching under overhanging tree branches to identify salmon species targeting chum and coho but occasionally other species (chinook, pink) may have been seen.

Thanks to those who participated!

Left to right: Maiya Callister, Anne Woosman, and Jerome Cho.

Chum salmon return to Hoy Creek

Video freeze frame to see a chum salmon making the jump. Often it takes several attempts.

Video freeze frame to see a chum salmon making the jump. Often it takes several attempts.

The first chum salmon of the season were spotted in Hoy Creek over the long weekend on Oct. 10 as former hatchery manager, Rodney Lee led a spawner salmon survey in the afternoon and saw five within the hour. On Sunday, Oct 11 another member of the society spotted two salmon jumping the lip below the bridge beside Hoy Creek Hatchery.

After the rains off and on throughout the week, Saturday, Oct. 17 there was a steady show of chum salmon to the delight of volunteers, and those out walking their dogs or enjoying the colourful dry fall day.

Chum salmon are usually seen from early October to mid-November. They are easiest to spot. Coho usually return in late October into December and are harder to spot as they are better at hiding.

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Rodney holds up a chum salmon at a previous Salmon Come Home event. No festival will be held this year due to the pandemic, however residents are encouraged to come out and witness the return.

Society volunteers will next work on getting chum broodstock and they’ll be raised from the egg to fry stage before being released back into Hoy Creek. The Society’s chum salmon program was reintroduced at the hatchery in 2016, thanks to a grant from the Pacific Salmon Foundation in 2015.

Learn more about the salmon we raise HERE.

Check out other photos and video on our Facebook page.

Salmon spotting on Oct. 17

Two chum salmon in Hoy Creek on Oct. 17