We have fry!

Submitted by Heritage Interpreter Abigail U.

They grow up so fast! Our Cannery Coho are now entering the fry stage and are starting to resemble the adult salmon they will soon become. Nearly all the baby salmon have absorbed their yolk sacs and many brave fish are starting to make the long trip up to the top of the tank to gulp big mouthfuls of air that will fill their swim bladders (a balloon like organ that helps the fish to stay afloat). In addition to them exploring their tank a little more, the fry also need to be fed now that they are no longer getting nutrients from their yolk sac. In the wild, salmon fry survive on a diet of small insects, krill, and plankton, so here at the Cannery we feed them a mixture that as closely as possible resembles what they would be eating if they were living in one of the many streams in Fraser River watershed.

Next time you are in Steveston, make sure to stop by and visit our coho salmon fry! There’s only a few more weeks to see them as they will soon be heading back to the Little Campbell Hatchery to start their lives in the river that they came from.