Whitehorse Rapids Fish Hatchery

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History

Yukon Energy's Whitehorse Fish Hatchery began in 1984 to counteract the numbers of migrating Chinook salmon fry being affected by our power plant. In 1996-97 the hatchery expanded to accommodate the rearing of fresh water species. This includes arctic char, kokanee salmon, and lake, rainbow and bull trout. The freshwater fish are used to stock pothole lakes in the southern Yukon.

Yukon Energy contracts R & D Environmental Management to run this facility, which is located on the east side of the Yukon River between the Whitehorse Rapids Fishway and the Robert Campbell bridge.

Fish hatchery worker Role of Hatchery

The hatchery operates year round to produce the various species. Each year, about 60 female and 120 male Chinook are removed from the fishway. Eggs and sperm are collected and mixed. The fertilized eggs are incubated over the winter. Approximately 80 per cent of the eggs survive to the fry stage, compared to about 10 per cent in the wild.

The newly hatched babies (known as alevins) are less than 2.5 centimetres long. They carry around part of the egg sac to provide them with nourishment for the first part of their lives. They are put into tanks and raised to between two and three grams in weight. The young fry – now between 6.0 and 8.5 centimetres long – are released the following June into streams such as Michie and Wolf Creeks in the Yukon River system.

In 2005, almost 113,000 Chinook salmon fry were released.

Before the fish are set free, they have their adipose fin clipped and a tiny coded wire is inserted into their nose cartilage. This painless (double check this) procedure identifies the stock, date and location of release and helps biologists track the number of salmon that return to the spawning grounds as adults.

Fresh Water Program

The fresh water program produces fry to stock Yukon pothole lakes. This provides enhanced fishing opportunities for anglers and takes some of the pressure off the native species.

Hatchery Tours

The Whitehorse Fish Hatchery is not currently set up to handle a large number of tours. However, it is possible from time to time to make special arrangements for small groups to visit the facility. Please call (867) 393-5333 or email communications@yukonenergy.ca if you would like to find out more.