Conservationists mark 20 years of hauling dead salmon to Vancouver Island creek

Salmon carcasses are pictured at Douglas Creek in this file photo. (CTV News)

A conservation group will be placing about 100 dead salmon in a Greater Victoria creek on Saturday morning.

PKOLS-Mount Douglas Conservancy plans to add the dead fish to Douglas Creek in PKOLS, formerly known as Mount Douglas Park, to provide nutrients for the salmon fry inhabiting the waterway.

The salmon-bearing creek lacks essential nutrients for salmon fry to survive since its watershed has been altered by development.

The group has been depositing salmon from the Goldstream Hatchery for the last 20 years in efforts to revitalize the salmon population of the creek, which had annual runs in the thousands up until the 1960s, according to Darrel Wick, president of the PKOLS-Mount Douglas Conservancy.

Wick says more than the fish benefit from the fertilizing carcasses.

"They’ve done studies of trees and they find in salmon-bearing streams the trees in the riparian zone have minerals in them that can only come from the ocean," said Wick while standing alongside the babbling creek Friday morning.

"So they know there’s a real spreading of these nutrients from the salmon," he said.

The group is inviting the public to help with the work starting at 10 a.m. at the new bridge and outdoor classroom on the Douglas Trail.

For those not interested in handing slimy, rotten fish, the group plans to have guest speakers sharing their knowledge on salmon and forests at the event.

"Half of this is environmental for the salmon," said Wick. "The other half is education for the public."

"[To] tell people about this creek, about salmon, we have educational talks," he added. "Just before we throw the salmon we have an excellent speaker from the hatchery come and explain the entire process. It’s a really good overall event."

If you’re interested in going you are asked to park either at the beach parking area and walk through the Douglas Trail across Ash Road to the bridge, or park on Edgemont Place to access the bridge.