Our Facility

From 1990 to 1995, the hatchery maintained a small building above a pond in the middle of Ravine Park.

Photo credit: Sammy Tucker

In 1995, a new building, adjacent to the Abbotsford Senior Secondary School and Ravine Park was constructed with the help of Abbotsford Senior Secondary students and volunteers. We are grateful for their efforts and enjoy continued use of our building today.

Photo credit: Sammy Tucker

Our back working room also contains a set of heath trays, a place to work with the fertilized eggs before they go into the Capilano troughs, and a pump to circulate the water over the eggs and fish.

Inside the hatchery, the backroom contains a set of four Capilano troughs where the spawners we receive from the Chilliwack Hatchery are housed during our egg take process. Afterwards, our fry are moved into the Capilano troughs so that they can grow larger before release. 

Notice the intricate set of pipes and valves at the back of the room. These are what control the water flow to the Capilano troughs.

Photo credit: AVS students

Spawners are kept in these troughs until it is egg take time, removing eggs and milt from them.

Photo credit: AVS students

The fertilized eggs are held in a supply of fresh water in these heath trays.

Photo credit: AVS students

These Capilano troughs hold our spawners before the egg takes, and our fry after the eggs hatch in the heath trays.

Photo credit: Bill Beatty

Above the Heath trays, a series of pipes and a pump are connected to our underground water supply.

Photo credit: AVS students

With the support of the Pacific Salmon Foundation, we are able to pump fresh, natural water over our eggs and fry to keep them healthy.

Photo credit: Bill Beatty

Our building also has a large classroom area where events like the egg takes, meetings, and teacher training take place.

Photo credit: AVS students

Below the hatchery building, within Ravine Park, is a rearing pond. Each year, approximately 10,000 fry are placed in the pond where they will become smolts, growing bigger to increase their chances of survival. They are released in the spring of the following year.

Photo credit: Bill Beatty

Here volunteers use nets to remove the smolts from the rearing pond so they can transported out to local creeks.

Photo credit: Bill Beatty