Halfmoon Bay outdoor athlete, Quinn Barabash, completed the first ever 32 km swim up Sechelt Inlet last Saturday in an effort to raise awareness about salmon spawning channels.
The swim for salmon event on Aug. 20 was organized to raise awareness of a petition for a grant from BC Hydro, as well as local and provincial governments, to build a fish ladder and/or spawning channels so the salmon can return to their traditional spawning habitat.
Fifty-five years ago, BC Hydro built a dam at the head of Clowhom Lake where it joins Salmon Inlet (an arm of Sechelt Inlet). This project wiped out an entire run of sockeye salmon, steelhead and sea-run cutthroat. The construction of the Clowhom Lake hydro dam did not foresee the environmental issues that ensued: the deprivation of important species to the local ecosystem.
Swimmers, kayak escorts and boating support joined Barabash, who completed the swim in 13 hours and 45 minutes. The Halfmoon Bay Coast Guard Unit 12 was tasked to the Skookumchuck Narrows for the tense start of the marathon at 8 a.m. as Barabash negotiated the treacherous tidal rapids.
The 27-year-old Bara-bash, founder of Top Environmental Network United Kinship (TENUK), said his support team was incredible.
"I swam the whole way, but felt like I only did a fraction of the work because my support team was that incredible," he said in an email to Coast Reporter. "There were people in kayaks, canoes and power boats coming and going all day long.
"People I had never met before kept showing up in the middle of the inlet. They would off-load kayaks and jump in to swim. One woman and her family showed up out of the blue and got right to work. She jumped in the water, we shook hands and just started to swim. Her two young sons paddled their kayaks and her husband kept a close eye on things from their support boat. I could not believe it.
"Today it is time for celebration. Tomorrow it is time to restore the health of Sechelt Inlet."
A free salmon barbecue followed the swim on Sunday at Porpoise Bay Provincial Park.
"Every individual can make a difference, but when we all pool our efforts together we create a much more powerful force with which we can accomplish great things for our communities," Barabash said.
He encouraged everyone to sign the federal and provincial petitions calling for the restoration of the Clowhom salmon run.
-Submitted
