The Nitinat Prince (161/365)

June 10, 2015 – The Nitinat Prince is an old derelict boat at the upper end of Pitt Lake at the log sort. I love this wreck if for no other reason than one of the hatcheries I work with is the Nitinat River Hatchery on Vancouver Island. How cool to see this wreck every year when I come up here to the Upper Pitt.

I help out on the Pitt sockeye crew every fall, but I’ve never gone up for a fry release before. I decided to remedy that and volunteered to crew on the last release for this season.

I couldn’t have picked a better day for it too.

I met up with two of the hatchery staff at the boat launch and waited for the barge to arrive. While waiting I had a chat with a local walking his little dog. Such a cutie.

After an impressive barge landing job by the tub captain, the transport truck and the chase truck were loaded, the temperature and oxygens were checked, and we followed the barge slowly up the lake from the relative comfort of a water taxi. Twice the tug captain was hailed and notified that we were coming alongside his tow and checking on the fish.

Had to wonder why someone thought it was safer to have us follow along in a second boat, then practically crash into the side of the barge and tie off while it was still under tow, while someone then climbed aboard the moving barge to check on the fish, and then climb back onto the water taxi, to have us then have to power off the barge again.

After the second check we left the barge behind and blasted up to the landing site to wait. The winds made the barge landing challenging, but I never cease to be amazed by the skill those pilots have.

We retrieved the trucks and headed up the rough road for 10km to the release site where I was handed waders and told that I was on hose duty. Waders are offensive when it’s close to 30C, but at least standing in the water cooled them off.

Four tanks of fish, totally 500,000 fry, were safely released in a tranquil side channel before we packed up and headed back down to the landing site to reload the trucks and take the jet boat back down the lake.

All in all, a fabulous day, gorgeous weather, and another crop of sockeye fry released in the hopes that they will come back in a few years as spawning adults.

I love my job….and I love that I can get out of the office and do these sorts of things.