Fish Hatchery Challenge: Sons and Sisters of Salmon

By Joel UnickowPublished On: October 6, 2020

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Of course, we all want to save wild stocks of Chinook. And, of course, we also want to take fish home. There are serious groups of sport fishermen that advocate for both—The Sport Fishing Institute of BC (SFI) and the Public Fishery Alliance (PFA), just to name a couple—and it’s important that we all get behind these groups. Retaining hatchery fish makes a lot of sense, right? Canada produces a significant number of hatchery Chinook intended to contribute to the fishery and Canada’s economy. Unfortunately, only 10% of our hatchery fish are clipped. Why? Lack of funds. Several of our hatcheries are not getting the help from Ottawa’s Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) that they so sorely need.

Not all hatcheries can afford the resources to clip 100% of their fish. Some of them don’t even have enough budget for a few pieces of lumber to fix a broken step. These hatcheries need as much help as they can get. Aside from the fish themselves, we sportfishermen are the ones who benefit the most from the hatcheries’ efforts. We can do something that can actually make a difference—directly contribute time or money.

Enter Sons & Sisters of Salmon (SOS). It’s a call for help; it’s a request to join our “gang”. We decided in December 2019 to start a new initiative to raise funds directly for the hatcheries. We launched a clothing line that says, “We will not go quietly into the night,” and it’s working—thanks to you. You bought almost 300 t-shirts and hoodies so far, with 100% of the profits set aside for those making fish. And with the support of our growing number of generous sponsors, we are generating even more funds.

COVID-19 put the kibosh on many derbies that we love so much. Those derbies generate serious funds for many of these hatcheries, so believe us when we tell you that more than ever, every penny counts. We are still selling clothing (visit our online shop) and we are still accepting corporate sponsorships. The pool is currently at $14,000 and we’d love to see it grow further.

For those hatcheries that want the funds, well … you need to tell Island Fisherman magazine what you would do those funds. It’s now a contest, and may those most in need win. We’ll tell your story, and we’ll support you!

Hatchery Contest Closes October 15th, 2020

Vancouver Island fish hatcheries wanting a shot at the funds must send a letter by email (click here) no later than 11:59 PM October 15th. The letter must contain the following: