Nearly 30,000 pounds of Chum salmon carcasses were deposited at local tributaries last week.
It was the annual salmon toss, a project of the Qualicum Beach Streamkeepers, and it involved volunteers gathering up surplus salmon carcasses from the Little Qualicum River Fish Hatchery and taking them to the headwaters of the local tributaries. The project increases the nutrient value of the soil, nourishes the aquatic environment and generally enriches the vitality of the river system.
The group went to seven drop-off points within the watershed at Whiskey Creek and Little Qualicum River. Streamkeepers works under the direction of the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which assisted by renting the truck, while local volunteers with Streamkeepers carried out the work.