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Members of the Okanagan Nation and area school children celebrated the release of salmon fry into the Okanagan River Channel, Wednesday.
The sockeye fry were the first released from a new hatchery that opened last fall.
“The success of the Skaha Lake sockeye reintroduction program, combined with the determination and continued efforts of the Okanagan Nation to maintain its inherent responsibilities to restore and protect its salmon fisheries, will ensure the survival of Okanagan Nation sockeye for the benefit of our people today and future generations," said Osoyoos Indian Band Chief Clarence Louie, who attended along with Penticton Indian Band Chief Jonathan Kruger.
More than 200 students who raised fish in their classrooms over the winter also released their fry into the channel. The goal is for youth to create a connection with the sockeye salmon and their return.
Shirley Bowman, a Grade 2 teacher at Columbia Elementary School, attended the festive event with 72 students.
"In the fall, we go to Oliver and watch the group harvest the eggs and milt from the sockeye salmon that are spawning. Then, in December, we receive eyed eggs and then raise them until they are fry," she said. "They are part of the release today, and it's very exciting and educational for all the kids."
The hatchery will continue to release fry over the course of the week.
Recent years have seen the ONA working with provincial, federal governments and U.S. tribes and agencies to rebuild the salmon run.
The ONA Fisheries Department is implementing the reintroduction program with input from the Columbia Okanagan Basin Technical Working Group.
With elders and children taking part, Kruger described Wednesday as a beautiful day.
This week, he said, they will be releasing, 1.6 million (fish) – the most ever.
"The most we've ever released in our history is 1.2 million." he said. "Our goal is to do five million a year."
This fall promises a successful return of the sockeye, with the possibility of more than 400,000 fish returning to the mouth of the Columbia River.
