Salmon Spawning in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia – A Fun Day for the Family

By Patricia Cashin

October and November are the months when salmon – Chinook, coho, sockeye, chum and pink – return from the Pacific Ocean to the rivers and creeks in British Columbia to spawn. So, if you are looking for something to do this fall, a fun and educational activity for the whole family is to visit one or more of the Salmon Hatcheries or Spawning Channels in BC.

One beautiful autumn day that’s exactly what a group of us did. And to add to our enjoyable day out we put the top down on our miatas and drove some lovely country roads out into the Fraser Valley, surrounded by the beautiful red and gold colours of autumn. Our destination – Inch Creek Hatchery just east of Mission, and Weaver Creek Spawning Channel near Harrison Mills.

Inch Creek Hatchery

Inch Creek was our first stop where we were immediately introduced to Gord and Larry, two large resident sturgeon who have lived here for over 30 years and we did get a peak at them although they were well hidden in the dark water.  The best time to view salmon at Inch Creek is in November but when we visited there were hundreds of small fry being reared for later release into the local rivers. This facility also operates a salmon conservation program where vulnerable salmon species are reared in to bring the numbers back.

Weaver Creek Spawning Channel

Weaver Creek Spawning Channel is a busy place – for salmon and people! Depending on the salmon cycle sockeye and chum will proliferate one year and pinks the other. The year we visited was the sockeye and chum year. Chum and sockeye salmon return as mature adults when they are 4 years old. Pinks return every 2 years and only on odd-numbered years.

This spawning channel is over three kilometres long on a course that meanders from Weaver Creek. The bed of the channel is gravel and the water is pristine. There were hundreds of red and silver salmon struggling to swim upstream jumping over man-made fish ladders and rocks to get to their original spawning grounds where they will lay their eggs.

The most salmon that have ever been recorded in this channel in one year is 100,000. In the spring, when the salmon eggs have grown into small fry they swim out of the channel into Weaver Creek and on to the Harrison River, eventually ending up in the Fraser River and finally the sea. Once this spawning cycle has ended the channel is drained and the gravel cleaned ready for the next year. Peak spawning at Weaver Creek takes place between October 15 – 20 but spawning salmon can be seen from October 6 to November 1. There are trails throughout the facility and boards that explain the salmon’s spawning activity and how they are managed at Weaver Creek.

There are many places to see spawning salmon throughout British Columbia. The Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) introduced an interactive map September 1, 2022 that highlights dozens of family-friendly locations in BC. As well, Watershed Watch provides information on where to see salmon spawning. Before heading out make sure you check for open days and hours.

For accommodations in this area and elsewhere in British Columbia go to www.travel-british-columbia.com.

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Published: October 5, 2023
Last Updated: October 5, 2023