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Wolf Creek Signs ( DOC ) |
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| Source: | YFGA | Date: | April 1, 2006 | |
The Yukon Fish and Game Association has been funded by the Yukon River Panel to replace the old signage at the Wolf Creek campground with new signs on the salmon life cycle. Our Executive Director Stewart Breithaupt has been working on this project along with YFGA Director Pat Hogan and Lawrence Vano. The 3 signs will hopefully be put up in December and will include some of the photos you see on this page. Here is what they have come up with so far,Wolf Creek Salmon Life CycleSign # 1 The Remarkable Story BeginsThe remarkable story of the Wolf Creek salmon begins either in the creek itself or at the Whitehorse Rapids Fish Hatchery. In the case of the Hatchery, egg samples are collected from the returning salmon in early August as they pass through the world’s longest wooden fish ladder here in Whitehorse. Similar to the eggs in the creek itself, the hatchery eggs develop into alevins over the winter and by spring emerge as fry. Every spring the Yukon Fish and Game Association sponsor the release of 50,000 salmon fry into Wolf Creek. This event is marked by the jubilant sound of countless children releasing bags of young salmon.The hatchery fry start their journey downstream to the Bering Sea late the following spring and the wild fry do the same. While in the ocean, if they can escape predators such as seals, whales and sea-lions for the next four or five years, they will grow into exceptionally powerful fish – the Chinook or “King” Salmon. Sign # 2 The Miraculous Return HomeFor many hundreds of years the return of the Chinook salmon (Gyu) has provided a vital food source for many First Nations who live along the Yukon River and her notable tributaries. Today, the salmon continue to play a significant nutritional, cultural and recreational role for all Yukoners and visitors alike.After living in the Bering Sea for several years, the adult Chinook salmon - responding to genetic and environmental triggers – enter the mouth of the Yukon River in early summer and begin the 3,200-kilometer journey back to the same stream or river where they were spawned. They do not feed during the two months it takes them to swim from the ocean to Whitehorse, relying instead on stored body fat for energy. Once they reach Whitehorse, they rely on a wooden fish ladder operated by Yukon Energy that allows the fish to move past the city’s hydro dam to reach the exact spot where they were born. Sign # 3 Circle of Life CompletedOur story enters the final chapter as the Chinook find spawning areas, or redds, in the stream where they were born. Even the hatchery born salmon make their way back to the exact creek where they were released. Miracle? Mystery? Nobody knows how this is accomplished but the life cycle continues as thousands of eggs (tu gyu) are deposited and fertilized in the creeks by the returning salmon.Exhausted, the fish will slowly succumb to death; yet even in death they continue to provide an important food source for animals and birds as well as important nutrients for the land and waters. We know, in the spring, the spawning efforts are rewarded as the entire story repeats itself and the precious salmon cycle continues. We would like to thank everyone involved as well as Rick Fergusen and Al VonFinster from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Janet Patterson from the Yukon Energy Corporation, Joe Iles from Challenger Geomatics, Director Shayne Parker and President Paul Jacobs. Keep your eyes out for these new signs at the Wolf creek campground entrance! |
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