It’s that time of year again! September brings you the chance to watch thousands of spawning salmon head up the waterways to release their eggs into the water.
Meadow Creek spawning channels are very active and produce between 10–15 million fry annually with mean egg-to-fry survival rate of 45%. Here’s an overview of the stages:
Spawners: At about four years, kokanee salmon mature and undergo dramatic changes in preparation for spawning. The male turns bright red and develops a slightly humped back and elongated jaw. Females turn a darker shade of red.
Eggs: When spawners arrive at Meadow Creek, females use their tails to dig nests in the gravel. They then release as many as 1000 eggs for the males to fertilize. The female again uses her tail to cover the eggs with gravel. Once all the eggs are laid, the adults die.
Alevins: Kokanee eggs remain in the gravel of the spawning stream, hatching out in January or February as “alevins” nourished by egg sacs attached to their bodies, but still remaining in the gravel.
Fry: In a few months alevins develop into kokanee “fry” which emerge from the gravel and ride the currents downstream.
Adults: Kokanee adults then complete the remainder of their life cycle in the fresh waters of the Kootenay Lake ecosystem to begin the cycle again.
Join in to view the spawning kokanee, talk to biologists, learn about the Nutrient Restoration Program in Kootenay Lake, and about co-existing with grizzly bears. The free open house event, just west of Meadow Creek, is on Saturday, September 7, between 10am and 2pm PT, and is hosted by the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program and the Province of B.C.
During spawning season, Meadow Creek spawning channel is open daily for viewing between 10am and 2pm. If there is high bear activity, it could be closed at any time. For more information about the open house, visit fwcp.ca or call 250-777-2591
FWCP