Salmon Steward

20 2018 psf.ca O ur people have lived on the Central Coast of B.C. for many hundreds of years, and prior to outside contact, we had 10,000 members. Wild salmon were a huge part of our culture; we situated ourselves for a reason. The Wannock River ran by our front door; it was the greatest source of food, plus we hunted for game and foraged for roots and berries. My grandfather Simon Walkus worked alongside DFO doing stream walks, trudging along tributaries leading to Owikeno Lake and counting salmon species. My dad Danny and my uncles William and Percy learned from their father and became stream walkers too. I was 18 when my dad died, and my uncles became my mentors; they instilled in me that there should be enough salmon for today but also for those who aren't here yet. Percy was a master of improvising and through trial and error, started a small hatchery with DFO at the mouth of the Wannock River. It became his No.1 priority. My family were all hatchery people. When they needed more help, they reached out to the community. Even when I was working in forestry, I would make time for the annual egg takes. I've always loved to fish for big Chinooks and felt it was important I give back. The Percy Walkus Hatchery is a very positive project for our community. We're seeing the big Chinook being taken care of and we're using science to make sure they're not overproducing or genetically modifying the fish. It's also provided employment for up to eight community members each year (which is important in a community of 70 people). I've seen so much change in my lifetime. Many factors led to the decline in salmon stocks and there hasn't been a commercial opening since 1987. I hope that we've learned to be more eco-based and think about logging practices, pollution control and fish management. With increased global temperatures, glaciers are disappearing quickly and impacting plankton blooms, which feed the salmon. I'm not a scientist, but I believe the fish are returning late as they adjust to these changes. I'm the lodge manager for Good Hope Cannery and it's encouraging to see the trend towards "catch and release." I'm hopeful about the resource management within our governments and how they're making changes. Salmon a"ect us all, and it's important that we have buy-in from sport and commercial fishing, First Nations, industry and government. If we don't unify on salmon, there will be none left. "The Percy Walkus Hatchery and hatcheries like it are a testament to what can be done when di-erent users of the resource put aside di-erences and unite in a common goal." – BRYDON PEACE, MANAGER, PERCY WALKUS HATCHERY Brydon Peace "swims" a tube containing a ripe female. Females are kept in containers until they're ready to be harvested for eggs. About 300,500 eggs were planted in 2017. The Percy Walkus Hatchery employs Wuikinuxv locals, and engages volunteers from the area and Snootli Hatchery in Bella Coola. Here, the team learns how to use the coded wire machine to tag Wannock Chinook fry and help the hatchery study their migration patterns. Inspired by the past, looking to the future Ted Walkus HEREDITARY CHIEF, WUIKINUXV NATION WHO CARES ABOUT SALMON? This photo of Ted Walkus went viral last year when it was posted to the Foundation's Instagram page, spawning articles on major national news outlets in addition to the social media storm. Special thanks to Duncanby Lodge, Good Hope Cannery, the Wuikinuxv Nation and Pacific Salmon Foundation Donors for making this hatchery possible.

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