I’ve been incredibly fortunate to participate in the Percy Walkus Hatchery Broodstock Fishery for the past eight seasons in Rivers Inlet. But I’ve never been so lucky as this past summer to participate in the egg take on the Chuckwalla River!
Located in Wuikinuxv Traditional Territory, the Percy Walkus Hatchery looks after the Chuckwalla, Kilbella and Wannock River systems. The Wannock is, well, the Wannock and one of the greatest salmon rivers on Earth. But the smaller Chuckwalla and Kilbella River systems, located up inlet from the village, are absolutely integral to the healthy salmon ecosystem of Rivers Inlet.
The Chuckwalla Egg Take is decidedly different from other hatchery operations as it’s helicopter-assisted and takes place in some big wild country…which is also home to an incredibly healthy Grizzly Bear population. I boated down from Bella Bella for the heli-day and joined my good friends Marshall Hans Jr., Kyle Morton from Duncanby and Jason Hall, a beast of a river monster unto himself.
Our crew of four flew up the Chuckwalla on a beautiful August day with a dinghy in tow and smaller sized gill nets than traditionally used on the Wannock. With everyone in dry suits, we made our way down the Chuckwalla towing the raft and rolling the gill net along. Hans Jr. and Hall are total veterans of this type of work and it was amazing to see them in action. Morton has also participated for many years so the skillset on our crew was second-to-none.
Unlike the 300,000 fertilized eggs targeted by the PWH on the Wannock River, the goal for Chuckwalla and Kilbella is 60,000 per system and the crew had to work pretty damn hard to find the Chinook and hit PWH targets.
Like all salmon conservation efforts I’ve been involved in led by Duncanby Lodge, the Chuckwalla Egg Take was perhaps the coolest..and the ecosystem absolutely amazing. We were all pretty exhausted after a big day working down the river but man, some of the coolest salmon stuff I’ve ever participated in!
From being a coastal leader with catch-and-release Tyee fishing to all the amazing work of the Percy Walkus Hatchery, Duncanby has remained a coastal leader in conservation for many years. A great number of the incredibly dedicated individuals involved truly hope this work becomes a template for all on the Coast to follow.
Whether trolling Rivers Inlet or working with Duncanby and Percy Walkus Hatchery, this very important salmon stewardship, deep in Wuikinuxv Territory, is the kind of giving back that we hope ensures these amazing fish are around for generations to come.
Duncanby Lodge and Percy Walkus Hatchery Salmon Stewardship…Big Coast!
