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12° Terrace Review — Wednesday, September 10, 1986

Hatchery helps enhance fish stocks —

Deep Creek

TERRACE — A visit to Terrace’s Deep Creek salmon hatchery is an idyllic and relaxing ex- perience. The building, an unassuming structure finished in rough cedar, seems to have grown out of the sylvan surround-

‘ings as naturally as a ‘mushroom. Flanked by

silent ponds and set

within hearing distance of Deep Creek’s liquid music, the hatchery ex- udes a storybook at-

‘mosphere of placidity

and peace.

by Michael Kelly A tour of the

Don Norstrom, employee at the Deep Creek hatchery, takes fry from Capilano trough rearing sites indoors to an outdoor pond. The small fish are raised in the troughs until they are about two inches long and moved to the ponds where they grow to be eight or nine inches jong

before being released.

ta os

Bill Middleton, foreman at ihe Deep Creek salmon hat- chery In Terrace, releases small fish into outdoor ponds.

hatchery’s interior, con- ducted by project manager Grant Hazelwood, reveals a riverine environment designed to provide an ideal place for fish to grow in. The sound of flowing water is everywhere, and the air is cool and humid.

Hazelwood explains that the purpose of enhancement is to help endangered species of fish recover population levels faster than would be possible under natural conditions. He expects a return of 10-20 percent on the stocks released by the Deep Creek opera- tion, in contrast to the natural return. of two to four percent.

The fish-rearing pro- gram is operated by the

Terrace Kitsumkalum _

Salmonid Enhancement Society with funding on an annual contract basis by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans through their Commun- ity Economic Develop- ment Program. The organization was found- ed in 1983 by a coalition of local sports fishermen and the Kitsumkalum In- dian Band. Their enhancement program began with a pilot pro- ject, and returning fish from the original release are expected in 1988, The enhancement pro- cess begins with the net- ting of fish from rivers and streams where stocks have been determined to be threatened. Eggs and sperm are extracted from the captured fish, and the fertilized ova are placed in trays. The trays are suffused with water, temperature controlled by mixing water from Deep Creek with that of a nearby ground spring, and kept in the incuba-

_tion room until hatching.

The tiny fish are then transferred to troughs in the main part of the hatchery and fed until they achieve two to three grams in size. At that point in growth they are either released in their native spawning. grounds or, in the case of especially endangered stocks, kept in the brooding ponds outside the building for further feeding and growth. Hazelwood points out that larger fish have a better chance of survival after being released. In order to distinguish hat- chery fish from wild stocks, each fish has its adipose fin clipped and a tag inserted before being released.

Standing outside by the pond, Hazelwood remarks that the society has resisted all attempts to encourage expansion. ‘‘We’re not interested in a productien line opera-

tion,’’ ‘His attitude toward the creatures the hatchery is attempting to preserve is apparent. in his . feelings about the Organization’s new steelhead enhancement program. ‘‘Steelhead are nice to work with because you can release them again after the eggs

are taken, They’ll come back to spawn two, three, or more times, The salmon, weil... they die naturally anyway after spawning, but you still feel bad, having to kill them after the eggs are taken.’’ Hazelwood looks around, pointing out the

various species of birds in the surrounding woods, and it would be easy to gain the impres- sion that he knows every fish in the pond by name. “What we have here,”’ he says, ‘is not so much a facility as a philosophy.’’ That says

it all.

Grant Hazelwood, project manager for the Deep ¢ Creek salmon hatchery, expects a return of 10-20 percent ¢ on stocks released,compared with a natural return of two to four percent.

In Terrace court

On Monday, Aug. 25 in Terrace Provincial Court Kenneth Valcourt was fined $100 for a breach of recognizance.

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In Terrace Provincial Court on Monday, Aug. 25 Reginald Fortin was fined $200 for causing bodily harm to the com- plaintant.

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“On Thursday, Aug. 28 in Terrace Provincial Court, Annie Wilson was found guilty of driv- ing while her ability to drive was impaired and was fined $400.

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‘In Terrace Provincial Court on Friday, Aug. 29 Gerry Roy was found guilty of breaking and entering with intent to commit an indictable of- fence and was jailed for three months and was also put on a one year probation period.

In Terrace Provincial Court on Friday, Aug. 22 Douglas Harrison was jailed 30 days for theft. Harrison was also jailed

another 30 days concur-

rent for theft. ee On Wednesday, Aug. 20 in Terrace Provincial Court Elizabeth Stevens was fined $450 for driv- ing a motor vehicle while her ability to drive was impaired. wok om In Terrace Provincial Court on Monday, Aug. 25 John Dignard was jailed for 14 days for a breach of recognizance. x kk On Friday, Aug. 29 in Terrace Provincial Court Hardev Manhas was fin- ed $300 for an offence

under the Motor Vehicle ©

Act. Manhas was also fined $15 for a different offence under the Motor Vehicle Act.

In Terrace Provincial Court, on Friday, Aug. 22 Robert Lawson was found guilty of driving while his ability to operate a motor vehicle was impaired, Lawson was jailed 14 days inter- mittent, and received a three month probation period. Lawson’s drivers licence was also put on a six month suspension.

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On Friday, Aug. 22 in Terrace Provincial Court, James Beedle was fined $750 for operating a motor vehicle while his ability to drive was im- paired.

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In Terrace Provincial Court on Friday, Aug. 22 Robert Ellis was found guilty of driving with more than 80 mgs, of alcohol in his blood, and was fined $500,