By Haley Gagnaux for the North Delta Reporter
On April 14, the City of Delta held its annual fish release in Watershed Park.
Delta celebrated the event’s 17th anniversary by holding a gathering at Watershed Creek, with a number of participants (up to nearly 1,000 some years), taking part in the celebration.
At this year’s family-friendly event, attendees enjoyed a craft table, free refreshments, numerous nature information booths, and tree planting, as well as the main attraction of helping to release the 25,000 chum salmon into the creek.
Park planner Linda Nielsen was in charge of the organization and planning of the event and said that volunteers, such as students and firemen, are a huge part of the success of the fish release.
“It’s been going on quite a while so we’re very proud of this event, and it’s a nice casual event for a lot of environmental kind of displays and discussions,” Nielsen said.
North Delta residents Kelvin and Pamela Yeung and their daughter Ayla called the event amazing and well organized.
“My favourite part is releasing the salmon, and we see schools of them over there too. If you really look there’s schools of them, over a hundred of them,” Kelvin said, motioning to the creek.
Prior to the fish release, Tom Bearss, president of the Delta Naturalist Society, led a guided nature walk through the park. Bearss has been leading the walk since 2006.
“I think it’s awesome, it’s a great event,” Bearss said. “There’s hundreds of kids learning about fish and nature and types of birds [and] animals in the park, types of flora. I think its an awesome thing, having fun.”
Bearss said the smiles on the children’s faces is his favourite part of the event.
“When they come to our display and they can put their hands in a box and guess what’s inside and they guess its a shell or a bird nest or a type of fungus or whatever, they’re just so enthralled.”
editor@northdeltareporter.com
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