Grizzly Country

Today was the last beach seine for the Phillips Arm salmon broodstock and the Grizzlies have moved into the lower river. This 3 year old bear was on the other side of the river from us when we arrived in the morning. He seemed well fed enough not to care about us!
Also spotted was a large female on the drive into the site and apparently there are 6 or 7 more in the area that we didn't see.
Lots of dolphins and porpoises performing their acrobatics on the cruise up to the Phillips Arm. Everybody loves it when the
salmon come back home.
It was a good year for the hatchery, right on target with over 200,000 eggs collected for next years release.

West Redonda Island

This is my favorite time of year to be on the water. You never know what you might see and this was definitely the case yesterday. A trip over to West Redonda Island for a hiking adventure yielded all sorts of treats for the intrepid adventurer. The Georgia Strait was beautifully calm, which was a welcome change from yesterday when the trip was originally scheduled. A pass by Mittlenatch Island revealed the many sea birds and seals sunning on the rocks as well as a huge bull Sea Lion recuperating from a brush with some transient Orcas (how he escaped we will never know).
Hiking into the lake from hidden Roscoe Bay on the Island, Sheila watched a feather float down from the forest canopy and looked up to see this Barred Owl sitting right on top of us watching the proceedings. Looking at this picture, you have to marvel at the patterns on it and those on the Western Red Cedar it is perched on.
On the way back to Campbell River we got to watch a group of Orcas playing and eating on the "Hump" ( a popular fishing spot for humans and whales alike). What a treat to listen and see their breathes as they surface, it just never grows old.

Phillips River Salmon Enhancement

It is that time of year when the salmon return from their ocean voyage to spawn in the river systems all over the coast. This year I have been fortunate enough to help out Greg Barlow and the Gillard Pass Fisheries Association with their annual broodstock collection of Chinook salmon on the Phillips River, a remote watershed that hosts all five species of Pacific salmon in an area of unparalleled beauty. Unfortunately, logging practices of days gone by virtually decimated these runs and now Greg and his crew of volunteers are working to rectify the situation (all with dedication and funds raised from private sources!).
This is truly salmon enhancement guerrilla style with a 300 ft. beach seine net and a large pool in the river directly below Phillips Lake. The goal is to get enough salmon to supply the hatchery with eggs and milt to raise the next generation of fish that will return (about 200,000 smolts which are the yearling fish that move from freshwater to the ocean). A healthy population of Grizzlies depends on it, as do many sport fishermen/women in the area. It was very cool to catch a GIANT spring salmon returning that was born in the hatchery 4 years ago. This work will continue for the better part of September.
Congratulations, Greg, and thank you for this integral work.