Goodbye Salmon Fry

Aquarium Invites Public to Release Hundreds of Baby Salmon

May 17, 2004 - The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre will be holding its second annual Goodbye Salmon Fry event this month, allowing paid visitors to release a baby salmon fry into the BC Hydro Salmon Stream Project in Stanley Park.

Goodbye Salmon Fry, hosted by the Vancouver Aquarium and Vancouver Park Board will take place in the Aquarium and in Stanley Park, May 22-24, 29 and 30 from 12:00pm-3:00pm daily, rain or shine. The event will send hundreds of young salmon off on their journey to the Pacific Ocean.

The release event also includes free tours of the salmon hatchery, where the fry are reared before their release. Join Aquarium staff for a stream walk or the family bug hunt, both of which will be taking place outdoors.

Special guests include BC Hydro and Alcan who will be offering educational activities, interactive fun, and prizes including stickers, magnets and more. The Aquarium will also be having a Fish Pond game, where visitors can fish for a prize just outside its entrance.

Special salmon-themed activities will be taking place inside the Aquarium to complement the celebration, including special entertainment, a salmon dive show, crafts, and gyotaku fish painting. Plus, stop by the Aquarium's newest exhibit in the Treasures of the BC Coast Gallery. The Spirit Salmon exhibit features rare colourless chinook salmon from the Somass River, which have never been displayed in an Aquarium before.

For a detailed schedule of events, please visit www.vanaqua.org

Background

A joint venture between the Vancouver Aquarium and the Vancouver Park Board, the $2-million demonstration stream winds its way from the Aquarium, through Stanley Park and into Coal Harbour. The Aquarium began releasing the first salmon fry back in June 1998, and the stream itself opened in October 2000. The first return of spawning salmon occurred in the Fall of 2001. Canada's largest outdoor classroom, the BC Hydro Salmon Stream Project in Stanley Park educates the four million annual visitors to the park about the importance of salmon and their habitat.

For more information, please contact:
Angela Nielsen, Public Relations Manager,
Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre
Tel. 604-659-3516  Pager 604-735-4506

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