Hatchery Update October 2012

Pink and chum salmon eggtakes are complete. They wrapped up in mid-September and we met our eggtake goals of 3 million and 1 million eggs respectively.  The eggs are now in the incubation room and are undergoing the thermal marking process at the moment.  The Murdock Foundation grant we received last year was partially used to improve that system and its working beautifully!  Within the next couple of weeks we will begin the process of “egg picking” where we sort out the live eggs from those that did not survive.  In addition, we will be turning our focus to Indian River in an attempt to collect coho broodstock.  We had only a handful of coho return to the hatchery as a consequence of the fry that were killed during the summer of 2010 when the water system failed.  It is doubtful we will get all 250,000 eggs we need but we will do the best we can!

Other happenings here at the hatchery, our improvements to our water system filtration are almost complete, upgrades to our electrical and alarm systems are progressing, and we will be hosting the UAS Fisheries and Aquaculture students for a week of hands-on learning in mid-November.  Coded wire tagging of coho fry will also begin in November. It’s a great time to come lend a hand if you are so inclined! Fall is a very busy, dynamic time here at the hatchery so please stop by and see what we are up to.

UAS Fish Technology Program

SSSC has a special partnership with the University of Alaska Fisheries Technology Program. The Fish Tech Program provides associate degrees and certification in aquaculture and fisheries management. Faculty for the program are Kate Sullivan and SSSC chair Jim Seeland. The SSSC provides hands on training opportunities for students in the programs. Workshops and internships occur out of the Science Center Hatchery through the program.

Here is an example of a past collaborative program offered at SSSC through the UAS Fish Technology Program.  UASFTP Aquaculture Workshop Sitka Jan 2012