It's not often we get to participate directly in one of nature's dramatic life cycles, but on April, 13 employees from the Sechelt branch of the Royal Bank of Canada did just that. They volunteered to help at the Chapman Creek Hatchery and assisted in the release of 7,000 chinook salmon fingerlings.
RBC provides branches the opportunity to organize and participate in a "day of service" during the month of April, followed up by eligibility for a $1,000 grant to the organization where the staff members volunteer.
Over the course of four hours, the volunteers helped clean up brush from around the property and assembled a pipeline from a salmon rearing tank to the bank of Chapman Creek to release the five-centimetre chinooks into the wild.
This was a test run to prepare for a much larger release by hatchery staff at the end of April, and it was carried out without a hitch.
Hatchery manager Bob Anstead said there are two contributions to the hatchery that make its continued operation possible. One is financial support from individuals, businesses and organizations in the community, and the other is volunteers who help out with its work.
"We have a dedicated core of volunteers who put in regular hours every week to support the operation of the hatchery, and we welcome volunteer offers from members of the public," Anstead said. "It's the efforts of our volunteers that make it feasible for us to operate a first-rate hatchery on a modest budget and to contribute to the overall health of the salmon populations on the Sunshine Coast. Together with the community is what makes it all possible."
Anyone interested in volunteering can contact the hatchery at 604-885-4136.
