Disappointing news for the Sooke Chinook Enhancement Initiative (aka the Sooke Sea Pen Project). We had a meeting with DFO on August 12 to discuss the continuance of the highly successful Initiative and Orca Food Recovery Program. Unfortunately, the outcome was not what we had hoped for.
But we aren’t giving up! Our work to support the Southern Resident Killer Whale recovery is too important. We are going to engage the SVI community in the fall to discuss this setback and the future of the project. We also have several other plans in the hopper!
Partnering for a Stronger Sooke River
We’ve reached out to the Jack Brooks Hatchery to explore a partnership, including using our sea pens to increase the survivability of their smolts as they enter the Salish Sea.
We are also developing plans for several new projects on the Sooke River, including:
- Working with CRD to release water from the Sooke Reservoir into the Sooke River during low water periods to help spawning Chinook move upstream.
- Developing a plan to trap spawning Chinook at the Sooke Potholes and transport them above the falls to the 21 km of upstream riverbeds.
- Implementing a counting fence, cameras, and fish trap to accurately count returning salmon and collect brood stock for Jack Brooks Hatchery.
- Exploring the opportunity to expand the Jack Brooks Hatchery to increase the output of Chinook smolts.
A Seat at the Table
We are also proud to announce that we have been invited to participate in a new Sooke Watershed Management Round Table Initiative, led by the T’sou-ke First Nation. This group will focus on prioritizing projects to benefit salmon enhancement across the entire watershed. SVIAC is ready to kick-start this initiative with our support and funding.
We will continue to fight for the health of the Sooke River and the salmon it supports. We’ll be engaging the SVI community further on the future of this project. Stay tuned for more info on how you can help.
SVIAC is also open to supporting other projects and ideas for salmon enhancement on Southern Vancouver Island – reach out with yours!