Clipping Coho
In July my brother and I were able to participate in the clipping of adipose fins on coho salmon at the Mossom Creek Hatchery. It was a beautiful day to be outdoors under the shade of the canopy supplied by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and count all the salmon we clipped. Even though I’ve watched this being done before it was the first time we actually got to do the clipping ourselves. We were in the company of other volunteers but I have to say there’s not a lot of talking going on because everyone is so focused on counting the salmon they clip! Clipping the adipose fin is a common practice for marking hatchery born fish. The other volunteers and I clipped 4,000 young coho in about three hours. The volunteers who took part ranged in age from 5 years old to over 70 plus. I can’t wait to do it again next year.