Thousands of freshwater Kokanee Salmon are making their final journey back to the pools where they were born.
“At three, four or five years old, when the hormone level is high, they will go up the creek that they were born to almost exactly the spot that they were from,” said Marnie Vanstone, RDCO Park interpreter.
This year, more than 4,000 Kokanee Salmon have been counted at Hardy Falls alone. Interpreters are on hand at Hardy Falls Regional Park as well as at Mission Creek Regional Park in Kelowna to help families discover the importance of fall spawning and the life cycle of the Kokanee Salmon.
The returning salmon lay their eggs in nests in the gravel, as many as 1,000 at a time for the males to fertilize. Though for the Kokanee Salmon, life is full of dangers from the very beginning.
“The eggs are high in protein, so even the bears go for the eggs and from there they proceed to get the rest of what they want, but even the ducks will eat the bodies,” said Vanstone.
Once the spawning is complete, the adults die. It’s the circle of life in action.
The weekend Kokanee Salmon Interpretation Program ends on Oct. 10.