Bedwell River Hatchery Project - Update

 
To bring you all up to date, in 2008 we started a hatchery project on the Bedwell River in hopes to increase the Chinook salmon population. Every October since, Doug Palfry from the Tofino Fish Hatchery, has collected male and female Chinook salmon species. On October 5 2010, Doug collected 4 females and 6 males from the Bedwell River and, in turn, produced 15,000 live eggs. Doug raises the eggs at  
the Tofino Fish Hatchery along with species from various watersheds in Clayoquot Sound and surrounding areas. For the first few months after the eggs are fertilized, they are carefully monitored in an incubator where they grow into fry sacks. During the last week of December, the baby Chinook were moved from the incubator, weighing only .6 grams, into a tank. They will be fed daily by an auto feeder until they weigh approximately 7 grams. In June, Doug will release the baby Chinook salmon into the Bedwell River. We are extremely grateful for Doug’s efforts to increase the salmon population; moreover, we would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our past and future guests as you have all
contributed to this cause with your 3% environmental-sustainability fee. Thanks! If you are interested in past information and photos please check out our archived blog post and photo albums; in addition, you can visit this site for updates.