COQUITLAM, B.C., October 11, 2023 – Coquitlam residents are invited to celebrate local salmon-spawning creeks with free outdoor festivities and self-guided activities at the City's popular Salmon Come Home event on Sunday, October 22 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hoy Creek Hatchery.
Attendees can visit the fish hatchery, see salmon fry, view a salmon dissection and learn about returning species. Other interactive activities include Art Cart wood crafts, an Indigenous carver and storyteller, the popular Nylon Zoo with the salmon mascot and costume parade, musical entertainment and an Explore Nature contest – prizes include a rain barrel, water wise kit, and Hoy Scott t-shirt and hat.
This year there will be a pancake breakfast from 11 a.m. to noon, and Mr. Tube Steak Hot Dog Cart will be available and includes vegan options.
Visitors can also visit educational displays from community stewardship groups, the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society, Department of Fisheries and Oceans and staff from the City’s environment and parks divisions.
Celebrate the Life Cycle of Salmon
Co-hosted by the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society, Salmon Come Home celebrates the life cycle of salmon, which spend their adult lives at sea and then return to the creeks where they hatched to spawn and die, completing their life cycle (up to 7 years).
Typically, chum salmon return to local creeks from early October to mid-November, and coho from late October to mid-December. Return dates of salmon fluctuate annually based on weather conditions; Coquitlam residents can keep their eyes open all fall and visit other local creeks. For those who also enjoy self-guided activities, the City also has instructions for a family-friendly scavenger hunt – pick up the handy map at coquitlam.ca/SalmonComeHome.
Stay Local
While residents explore Coquitlam’s outdoor spaces, they are encouraged to support local businesses for snacks and other supplies, and to properly pack up and dispose of all garbage and wildlife attractants. Coquitlam also has many other parks and trails to discover on crisp autumn days – visit coquitlam.ca/ParkFinder and coquitlam.ca/trails for information.
Help Protect Fish and Aquatic Life
Did you know that catch basins, also known as storm drains – and anything poured into them – empty directly into local creeks and streams and can impact salmon and other aquatic life?
These curbside drains help prevent flooding by directing rainwater into the City’s drainage system. Coquitlam residents and businesses are invited to help protect local streams and their neighbourhood by signing up for the City’s Adopt-a-Catch Basin and Storm Drain marking programs.
Details are available at coquitlam.ca/AdoptaCatchBasin, or contact the Water Conservation Coordinator by emailing waterconservation@coquitlam.ca or calling 604-927-3546.
Keep Toxins out of our Streams
It’s important to remember that pool and cleaning chemicals, pesticides, paint, oil, fertilizer and other toxins require careful disposal. Using storm drains to dispose of them is not only harmful to fish and other wildlife but could lead to penalties. Visit coquitlam.ca/recyling and use the Waste Wizard tool to find out where you can safely dispose of these and other materials.
Coquitlam’s Environmental Sustainability Plan
Coquitlam finalized an Environmental Sustainability Plan in January 2022 that will guide decisions and ensure the long-term resiliency and sustainability of the community. Collaborating with community partners to provide environmental education opportunities like Salmon Come Home is one of the actions in the plan. Learn more about the Environmental Sustainability Plan at coquitlam.ca/EnviroPlan.
Media Contact:
Caresse Selk
Manager Environment
City of Coquitlam
epw@coquitlam.ca
604-927-3500
We acknowledge with gratitude and respect that the name Coquitlam was derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (HUN-kuh-MEE-num) word kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (kwee-KWET-lum) meaning “Red Fish Up the River”. The City is honoured to be located on the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm traditional and ancestral lands, including those parts that were historically shared with the q̓ic̓əy̓ (kat-zee), and other Coast Salish Peoples.