Fisheries Friday – Fall Update
If you are needing some soul therapy, you don’t have to go too far to find it. Get out on the land, it is positively glowing with the fall colours. Bold hues of gold, yellow, orange and red presented against a clear blue sky with snowcapped mountain peaks complimenting the skyline. The air is crisp and carries the scent of decaying leaves and ripe cranberries. It truly is a healing feast for the eye, and all the senses.
The fun but hectic summer pace has slowed, our field projects are winding down, and so are our staff. Like the Land, they too are ready for the change of season. Next week, coho project staff will be wrapping things up, closing camp and returning home, making the season closure official. Late salmon runs are making their way into the spawning locations on the Lower Stikine River, returning to their birthplace to complete their lifecycles.
It has been quite some time since we have provided an update, we have so much to share with you.
Photo: Sandy Quock with a Little Tahltan River Chinook, captured for DNA sampling
On August 26th we travelled to Tahltan Lake for a site visit. Elder Joe Dennis, accompanied by grandson Cody and the Fisheries Director, departed Dease Lake and travelled to Telegraph Creek where we were met by Chief Rocky Jackson at the airstrip with elders Nancy and Bill McGee. Together we then flew the Tahltan River up to Tahltan Lake. There we were welcomed and greeted with warm smiles, helping hands, a homemade lunch, hot coffee and tea by TCGFD staff members Noreen Mclean and Jared Dennis. It was such a great day, getting these old friends together to visit, reminisce, and share their memories and stories of days long past. It was an emotional moment when we arrived. After a 50+ year hiatus, the tears were genuine and from pure joy at finally getting to return to this most special and sacred place, only recalled from buried memories. Love and laughter and teasing shone brightly through the day. The lake, the salmon, the wildlife, all made for a wonderful experience and another new memory to relish. My sincere gratitude to Tundra pilot Ryan, our staff on site, and our elders for sharing their time and their stories on this day. Mēduh.