Kokanee salmon should find a cleaner home when they return to a section of Mission Creek, according to a regional district news release.
Starting tomorrow, July 26, BC Ministry of Environment crews will begin cleaning the spawning channel and the associated settling pond in Mission Creek Regional Park. All work is expected to be complete by Aug. 15, ahead of the annual return of spawning salmon, the release said.
During this time, visitors to Mission Creek Regional Park, the Mission Creek Greenway and the spawning channel should watch for signage and stay out of marked areas and trails when heavy equipment is operating. Some equipment may also be entering and leaving the park along the Hall Road access and trails, the release said.
This short window provides the chance for cleaning the channel of debris and sediment deposited during the spring freshet prior to the annual Kokanee spawning season. Each year, any material that settles in the channel is removed and using high-pressure washers, the gravel in the channel is cleaned in order to improve the potential for successful spawning by the land-locked freshwater salmon, the release said.
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