Fingerling Festival
On the first Saturday of each May, we celebrate the release of the salmon into Noons Creek with a fabulous environmental festival that is visited by over 5,500 people of all ages. This event is supported primarily by the City of Port Moody; other sponsors have included Pacific Coast Terminals (PCT), Port Metro Vancouver and Bold Properties.
For a number of years now, the big hit at the Festival is the releasing of approximately 40,000 young chum salmon from the hatchery into Noons Creek for their four-year journey in the Pacific Ocean. Buckets are donated to us and are provided free of charge each year so that all members of our community can get involved.
Exhibitors like World Wildlife Fund, Vancouver Aquarium, Wildlife Rescue, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), B.C. Used Oil Management Association, Sea Shepherds Society are just some of the fascinating groups you can meet and chat with at the Festival.
It’s a free, educational and fun family day out every year – and that has always been our aim!!
Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup
We conduct over 50 school programmes throughout the year for Grades 1 to 7+ and also offer workshops. Our programmes include estuary exploration, salmon cycle, stream science and stream keepers workshop.
Learn more about the modules and programmes by clicking here.
Community Involvement
Since 2010, we have dramatically increased our online presence through our website, Facebook and Twitter (Noons Creek), email and our newsletter. These tools allow us to stay in touch with our volunteers and inform them of upcoming events such as egg takes on the Alouette River, and to inform members of the public of our upcoming events.
Our current activities include offering stream keeper and aqua bug courses, tours of the watersheds for local residents, visiting other hatcheries, and school programmes.
We actively participate in various events including:
- Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup (up to 160 people of all ages have attended our event!)
- Stream Keepers Course (conducted by the Pacific Stream Keepers Federation)
- Chum Salmon Egg take at the Alouette River with Fisheries & Oceans Canada (DFO)
- Hyde Creek Salmon Festival and Hoy-Scott Creek ‘Salmon Come Home’ Festival
- Treefest at Riverview Hospital
- Earth Day Festival at Burnaby Lake
- Displays at the Port Moody Library, City Works Yard, Port Moody Car-Free Day amongst others…
- Watershed tour for the Klahanie community
- UBC Biodiversity Museum tour
- Fish health courses
- Field trips to Pacific Coast Terminals and other hatcheries
- “Ugly Bug Ball” bi-annual camping event to recognize all Salmon Enhancement Program volunteers. This is held and funded by the Fisheries & Oceans Canada (DFO)
- Salmonid Enhancement Programme (SEP) bi-annual Conference for volunteers held by Fisheries & Oceans Canada (DFO) – scheduled in alternate years when the ‘Ugly Bug Ball’ is not held.