The kʷikʷəƛ̓əm t́ák̓ʷ Hatchery is officially open.
kʷikʷəƛ̓əm welcomed dozens of guests and members to a cultural ceremony at the hatchery last Saturday, marking the first large public gathering at the site since a ground-breaking celebration was held four years ago.
Cultural Coordinator Nancy Joe and all three members of yəw̓en̓ si:ʔem̓ (Chief and Council) spoke about the historical importance of the hatchery, which aims to restore the run of kʷikʷəƛ̓əm Sockeye in the Coquitlam Watershed, and the collaboration between multiple levels of government to get the hatchery up and running.
The official opening is an important milestone for a Nation whose name, in a direct translation from hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, means ‘Red Fish up the River,’ a nod to the thousands of salmon that once flourished in the Coquitlam Watershed before the damning of the Coquitlam River in 1905. (The kʷikʷəƛ̓əm t́ák̓ʷ Hatchery means ‘Red Fish up the River Return Home.’)
The kʷikʷəƛ̓əm Salmon Restoration Program (KSRP) paved the way for the hatchery by restoring habitat and conducting studies that informed fish passage projects. The program also helped alter flows to “fish valves” in the dam, allowing salmon to migrate to the ocean and mature before retuning home.
Following the four opening speeches, representatives from BC Hydro and Metro Vancouver spoke and touched on the importance of working together to help the hatchery thrive. Both groups are primary partners with the hatchery and provide funding, land and water supply for the site. The Department of Oceans and Fisheries also supplies technical support. Along with the primary partners, Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart and Councillors Craig Hodge and Matt Djonlic, among many others, were in attendance too.
Artists Mike Stanley, Ashlee White, Kristinia Joe and Rosalie Dipcsu were blanketed for their contributions to the hatchery, a formal recognition of their powerful work.
Stanley and White co-designed the new logo, while Dipcsu and Joe made tub wraps and moon murals for the fish tanks. (Dipcsu also designed a mural that rests on the main gate outside the hatchery.)
The ceremony comes a little over one year after the hatchery became fully operational.
Since late-2024, the Nation has been able to spawn with fish that return up the Coquitlam River every year. Last year, for instance, five sockeye returned up the river. The fish were then transported to the hatchery and used to jumpstart the next generation of kʷikʷəƛ̓əm sockeye. In previous years, the fish would have been sampled and released into Coquitlam Lake.
Sockeye will be the focus of the hatchery. But since launching, kʷikʷəƛ̓əm has produced and successfully released 9,000 Coho Salmon into the Coquitlam Watershed—the first time that Nation has re-populated its traditional territory with its own hatchery-grown salmon.
Scroll through the images below to check out highlights from the ceremony.
The ceremony kicked off with a self-guided tour, where attendees could walk through the hatchery and learn how the Nation cares for its fish.
Once people were done touring the hatchery, Elder Stephen Armstrong, who was the event's master of ceremonies, called everyone together and multiple kʷikʷəƛ̓əm members spoke to the roughly 40 people in attendance.
The ceremony didn't just feature speeches. There was also traditional singing and drumming which welcomed the artwork to its new home.
The new logo was co-designed by Mike Stanley and Ashlee White. The tub wraps and moon design were made by Rosalie Dipcsu and Kristinia Joe, respectively.
By the end of the day, everyone gathered in front of the hatchery for a group photo, serving as an important memory for all the people that helped get this facility off the ground.