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Visiting The Weaver Creek Spawning Channel

written by John Chow on October 16, 2008

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Weaver Creek is a very popular attraction, on the weekends. However, on a Wednesday afternoon, we were practically the only people there. One of the best thing about the Dot Com Lifestyle is you can go to places during a time when everyone else is working. This gives you the entire place to yourself. It also avoids rush hour, the most hated thing in the world.

Between 1943 and 1959, an average of 20,000 sockeye salmon spawned in Weaver Creek every year. For the next eight years, from 1960 to 1968, however, that average declined to 12,000 sockeye annually. The main reason for this decline was the destruction of the salmon spawning grounds in Weaver Creek due to flooding. Flooding affects salmon adversely. Scouring of the gravel kills salmon eggs. Fewer eggs mean that fewer adult fish are produced in subsequent years.

To provide additional spawning habitat for sockeye salmon, a spawning channel was built beside Weaver Creek in 1965. This channel is a shallow stream with a gravel bottom and sloping sides built up with rocks. In this channel, which is 2,932 meters long, sockeye and smaller numbers of chum and pink salmon deposit their eggs naturally.

Since this channel is a man-made extension of Weaver Creek, more salmon can spawn naturally than in the creek alone. The spawning channel provides a stable flow of clean water that is maintained while the salmon eggs are incubating in the gravel. In other words, flooding in winter cannot occur to dislodge and kill those eggs deposited in the spawning channel the previous autumn.

Weaver Creek Spawning Channel

Weaver Creek Spawning Channel

Weaver Creek Spawning Channel

Weaver Creek Spawning Channel

Weaver Creek Spawning Channel

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I just had salmon grill for lunch, LOL

For YEARS, I threw rocks into creeks. I never suspected that there were animated fish at the bottom capable of making signs about their dismay.

Interesting place John.

One thing I must add is that the first part of the video of you walking seemed really fake :-P

That is a lot of SASHIMI! :D

-Mike

I just had salmon grill for lunch :)

Dot Com life style would be great. Too bad I am not there yet!

The fish the the knot on it's head is hilarious!

Hey, how is it spawning naturally when it's a man-made addition? Seems to me that's not natural.

Yeah Dot Com Lifestyle... anytime anywhere..

Hey John,

Are those fish jumping over the barrier in the river?

This blog has changed big time from a year and 2 years ago, I remember it from back then, it was much smaller and usually all the people who left comments were the same people that were all known, now I look and there is too many different people and it seems like its turning into like a social network and one day going to just crowd out John Chow himself...

You should have brought your fishing pole and caught dinner! Nothing beats some Salmon on the grill.

Is that a MarketLeverage shirt under your jacket? I want one!

Please do not throw stones...poor fish

'Since this channel is a man-made extension of Weaver Creek, more salmon can spawn naturally than in the creek alone. The spawning channel provides a stable flow of clean water that is maintained while the salmon eggs are incubating in the gravel. In other words, flooding in winter cannot occur to dislodge and kill those eggs deposited in the spawning channel the previous autumn.'

Doesn't sound too natural to me...If the salmon can't spawn there because of environmental reasons, maybe they shouldn't be spawning there...
Rather than building man made channels for salmon to spawn, we should be looking after our environment in such a way as this can, should & did happen naturally once before. However as we have obviously messed up the planet maybe this isn't a bad idea until future generations can sort out the mess we are leaving behind...

Well, salmons used to spawn in the creek naturally but thank to logging by man, the number of spawning salmon decline greatly. Man messed up, they had to fix it.

This makes sense. You should have mentioned that in your post, because when I read I felt the same way. We shouldn't be promoting life somewhere if it can't survive there naturally.

Where is Weaver Creek?

From Vancouver, drive one hour east on Highway 1 (Trans Canada) and take exit 92 at Abbotsford to get to Mission. From Mission, drive east on Highway Number 7 for about 20 minutes. Turn north onto Morris Valley Road at the Sasquatch Inn and the Hemlock Recreation Area sign. Follow Morris Valley Road for 12 kilometres. You can't miss it because the road ends at the creek.

nice pics JOhn. Love it.

I agree John,
Very nice pictures....looks like a pretty cool place

hehehe, like this one, why not choose to Bali? this is also cool with the oldest turtles there! Cool!

Ah okay so it's near Hemlock. So from my location I can just take Highway 7 (Lougheed hwy) out past Mission towards Agazzi but turn (left) at the inn and not go over the float bridge.