Visit to Salmon in the City – Coldquitz River

Published on by Ian W. McVitty

Salmon in the City refers to events celebrating salmon runs and wildlife conservation in urban areas, such as the annual “Salmon in the City” celebration in Surrey, BC, and viewing opportunities in other cities like Coquitlam and Toronto. These events often include family-friendly activities and educational displays, while opportunities to view wild salmon in city parks and hatcheries are also available at specific times of the year.  (Google, 2025)

I was invited to visit by Dorothy Chambers and Joachim Carolsfield who lead the volunteer group monitoring Coho Salmon on Coldquitz Creek in Victoria. The group installed underwater cameras during my visit that will film coho during the spawn.

Volunteers of Peninsula Streams work on the camera installation
The fish fence is cleared of debris before the spawning run
The fish fence contains pipes where salmon can be recorded during spawning.

The underwater camera was of particular interest since we have considered a similar approach on Bee Creek. The model shown here has however been hard wired for its internet connection.

The intent is to use the camera for counting and observation as opposed to what we may have in mind.

The Coldquitz River visit was a fascinating example of citizen stewardship in action.