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The Adams River Salmon Society |
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2006 Salute to the Sockeye Celebration Join the Adams River Salmon Society as we celebrate the miracle of life and death during the 2006 Adams River Salute to the Sockeye, October 1st to 22nd, 2006.
Roderick Haig Brown Provincial Park is situated on the banks of the Adams River in Squilax B.C., just west of Salmon Arm, and a short 40 minute drive from Kamloops. (map link) When is the best time to see spawning salmon in the Adams River? Salmon as well as many other animal species vary their behaviours such as migration and mating, due to environmental conditions. In past years, sockeye run timing has varied by 2 – 5 weeks. This is due to unfavourable water conditions, variable ocean survival rates, natural parasites and other factors. There are four species of salmon that return to the Adams River; chinook, pink, sockeye, and coho. They generally return in this order between late august or early September and the end of December. The Chinook Salmon Chinook begin to migrate into the Adams River late in August or early in September and have completed their spawning by late September. Best viewing is around mid-September. When they migrate and spawn is driven by their internal biological clock as well as water flow and temperature variations. Chinook are the largest of the salmon species and may weigh between 10 and 15 kilograms. Chinook utilize the deeper, swifter flowing waters of the Adams and as a result they are generally harder to view. Factors such as their dark spawning colouration, sun glare off the water surface, channel depth, and channels situated in hard to access portions of the park (not all channels are accessible) add to the challenge of viewing these spectacular animals. Once chinook have completed spawning, they die and their bodies can be seen washed up on rocky shorelines and in the bottom of deeper pools. The Pink Salmon You will not see pink salmon in the Adams on even numbered years (e.g. 2004, 2006) because they have a two year life history and are only present as adults every odd numbered year (e.g. 2005, 2007). Pink salmon also migrate starting in late August, however, they may also have a longer run window, meaning they can often be seen into early October. A pink salmon presence is not expected for 2006. The Sockeye Salmon Sockeye salmon migrate to the mouth of the Adams River in mid-September, usually completing their migration by late October. Like all salmon, their run timing is determined by their internal biological clock and is also affected by water conditions and temperature variations. Sockeye are a mid-sized salmon, varying in size fro 3 – 7 kilograms. Sockeye utilize shallower, riffle (bubbling) water areas of the Adams River. Their use of shallow spawning areas and their bright red and green colouration leads to excellent shallow water viewing on a number of trail systems within the park. The best time for viewing sockeye in 2006 is expected to be between October 2nd and 22nd. What are the crowds like? Most visitors to Roderick Haig Brown Provincial Park come to view the sockeye on the holiday weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving) between October 7th and 9th. If you choose to visit at this time, you should expect cars to be backed up for two to three hours prior to entering the park. Once on site, you will be able to share your viewing experience with approximately 15 thousand other visitors. If you would prefer a more leisurely experience, we strongly suggest choosing any other date between the 1st and 22nd. Are there Tours? During the week, you will be able to tag along with school tours, which run between 10am and 2 pm. These tours are led by representatives of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, BC Parks and our interpretive partners including Thompson Rivers University and the BC Wildlife Park. Interpretive staff are on-site and available to answer your questions, daily between 10am and 3 pm. In addition to interpretation, there are many interpretive signs and displays in the park. Food concessions are also available on site. As are washroom facilities. Parking is available in the park. Event fees:
How many people attend the event? The Salute to the Sockeye
welcomes visitors from all over the world. What are the best days to visit? Any day of the week is a good day to visit, although there are more visitors on the weekends. What kinds of fish can I see? Besides the big attraction, the sockeye, you can see chinook and coho salmon, as well as Rainbow and Bull trout, Rocky Mountain whitefish and large-scale suckers. Are there bears? There may be bears in the vicinity. BC Parks always posts signs in the park to warn people if there have been bear sightings. Does it smell? After a large number of the fish have spawned and died, there is a strong smell of decaying fish in the air. Can you fish? You cannot fish for any
species of salmon in the Adams River. How many sockeye salmon will be there? This is a dominant run year for the Adams River sockeye. Based on historic records, in a dominant run year, sockeye can number in the millions of fish. However, specific numbers of spawners cannot be provided until after the run spawns, due to the need to conduct data collection activities that occur while the fish are in the river. In 2002, which was the parental year for sockeye returning in 2006, over 3.5 million sockeye spawned in the Adams River. These numbers should result in a strong return in 2006. In 2005, we did see a larger than average return of jack sockeye (precocious 3 year old males) to the system. This is considered an indicator of the strength of the next years’ run, which could mean that a significant run is in store for 2006.
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