Things to Do: Miramichi Salmon Conservation Centre

One of Miramichi's major industries is the fishing industry and so it only makes sense that we are home to the Miramichi Salmon Conversation Centre.

Signs in front of the hatchery.

Driveway leading down to the hatchery.

The main compound.

The Miramichi Salmon Conservation Centre was open in 1973 by the Federal Government. In 1997 the government decided to start getting rid of their Eastern hatchery locations. This is when the Miramichi Salmon Association (MSA) took over the hatchery and has been keeping it fully operational since then. Nature is extremely important to Miramichi and as a result of this, there are many organizations that see to making sure it is preserved and taken care of in the area.

A major part of what they do at the conservation centre is breeding programs. In September, they will go out and gather about 100 adult female and 100 adult male salmon. In October, the fish are ready for breeding and the workers help in facilitating the process. 

First, they put the fish to sleep and then gently squeeze the eggs out. Once they are ready to fertilize the eggs, the works will again put the fish to sleep and gently squeeze out the sperm to fertilize the eggs. From there, the fertilized eggs are placed in trays and put in these tanks in well water until they are ready to hatch in April.

Tanks for the fertilized eggs.

Building where the fertilized egg tanks are kept.

Nearing the end of the incubation period, the eggs will be moved from the trays onto mats with long plastic fibers to simulate the feeling of being buried in gravel at the bottom of the river, like wild salmon. The eggs then hatch the fish lives off their yolk sacs, hidden in the mat fibers, for a few weeks. Once the fish are ready, they are moved to bigger tanks and fed until it is time to release them in June.

Area where the fish are raised.

This is where the fish will be kept in the bigger tanks. Because of the fact that they are so small and their immune systems aren't fully developed, they are easily susceptible to bacteria and as a result, anyone who enters this area has to sanitize their footwear before walking through, just in case.

Due to the high volume of water used in this area, the MSA have installed huge oxygen tanks and so they are able to re-oxygenate the water rather than having to waste water by bring in fresh water every few minutes. 

Once the fish are ready to be released in June, the MSA will take they to various locations throughout the Miramichi River and let them back into the wild. This is basically a way to help out the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) with regulating the salmon population.

In addition to their salmon program, the Miramichi Salmon Conservation Centre deals with other types of fish, namely brook trout and sturgeon. 

Fish holding area.

Inside the holding area.

This is one of the other holding areas on the compound for the fish. In here they have tanks holding sturgeon and the bigger tanks usually hold the brook trout. The MSA has an agreement with other companies who don't have the space to raise their own fish, and so the sturgeon here and being raised for a company that will use their eggs for caviar. 

An interesting fact about sturgeon is that these fish, unlike brook trout and salmon, can regulate their growth. This means that where a salmon will grow to their full size regardless of the population density, sturgeon will only grow so big to fit in their tanks with a large number of other fish. The ones here are roughly around a foot and a half long, but in the wild they can grow to be up to eight feet long. 

The other fish that are held here at brook trout and that is because the center has a U-Fish pond for trout fishing, or people can select fish out of the tank.

U-Fish ponds.

One neat difference between the salmon and the brook trout is their water preferences. Salmon typically tend to like higher water temperatures and are kept in the well water at the centre. The brook trout on the other hand like cooler water temperatures and so are kept in the brook water.

This is the waterfall that brings all the brook water down into the compound for the fish.

The centre does tours throughout the summer, with special tours set up for schools during the school year for students to learn about the fish. 

Office.

The Miramichi Salmon Conservation Centre is a really cool places to visit if you're interested in learning about the waters of the Miramichi River or if you are interested in fishing in the area. It's also a great way to get students involved in the water ways and hopefully as future conservationists. 

To learn more about the centre or the MSA, check out their website at www.salmoncentre.ca.