A Fishy Field Trip for Bradner Students!

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By Ashley & Karolina Rempel

Brander Elementary School's Division 1 class went on an amazing fieldtrip to the Fraser River. Their first stop was Weaver Creek Spawning Channel in Harrison Mills, BC. It was a beautiful October day, not too hot not too cold, as the kids had so much fun watching the weak salmon try and swim upstream and jump over the mini waterfalls. The students got to run around and observe the alive, almost dead and dead salmon. Some of the students were able to step on the rotting carcases and make them squirt out their eggs…eww gross right?!! They watched as the greedy seagulls squawked at each other while fighting over the dead salmon that covered the paths…we were told the fishy smell attracts bears and eagles to the area, which would have been exciting to see.

Once the time was up, the teachers gathered up all the students and brought us to the meeting area to listen to Chief Harvey Paul of the Sts’ailes Aboriginal Band and Chief Colin Pennier of the Scowlitz Aboriginal Band. They told us stories and facts about Weaver Creek and its importance to the Salmon population. Then it was time to load everyone on the bus and make our way to the Fraser River shoreline on the Sts’ailes Aboriginal Bands property. There the students gathered in their assigned groups and headed to 1 of the 3 stations. At the campfire station we played a game, learned about the life cycle of salmon and got a free pack of delicious candied salmon…mmmm salmon!

The next stop for my group was the dissection station where we learned about the salmon’s anatomy and we were allowed to touch the insides of the displayed dead fish. The last and most fun station was the tagging station. Here we got to put on hip waders and enter the Fraser River to help gather data and help tag the Chinook Salmon for the Fisheries department. The fish had been caught in a huge net and it was our job to bring them to the table to be measured and tagged. Some of the kids nearly fell into the water because the salmon was so big, heavy and feisty. There were about 300 fish fighting for dear life trapped in the nets beneath our feet. They were mean looking with big sharp teeth and slippery scales…I’ve never seen fish that big before!!! All the kids had to join into at least a group of 2 because it would be really hard holding a huge salmon by yourself and bringing it all the way to the tagging station, but some students had to manage because their partner was too scared of the gigantic fish swimming around their feet. I don’t blame them as Chinook Salmon look very frightening and their skin feels so weird to the touch. It was very exciting to be a part of this process the fisheries does to ensure the health and survival of the Chinook Salmon in the Fraser River.

​Before we knew it, it was time to leave the river and head on over to Chief Harvey Paul’s Long House to listen to traditional stories of times long gone and enjoy a lunch of banic, smoked salmon and hot dogs made by him and his generous family. While we ate our food, we were treated to a traditional Sts’ailes dance performed by Chief Harvey Paul’s son….all in all it was a fantastic day enjoyed by all. The Bradner Elementary students had so much fun and they can’t wait to go again next year.