Hundreds of chum fry make their way down Bowker Creek headed to the Salish Sea this month. Among them, nearly 100 gently released by Glenlyon Norfolk School Grade 2 students.
Two classes from the school on Beach Drive dipped cups into the waters of Bowker Creek on April 26, releasing the smolts they grew from eggs at the school.
Under the watchful eye of Bailey Stefani, marine education and outreach officer with Sequaria Ocean Education, students in small groups dipped cups with fry in them into the water gently ushering the fry into the waterway.
RELATED: Surf smelt egg found on Oak Bay beach signals spawning ground for forage fish (video)
Seaquaria leads the federally-funded salmon in the classroom program.
The program is in classrooms across the province, but on the south Island about 95 schools from Sooke through the Gulf Islands participate with students releasing almost 10,000 salmon in nearly 20,000 streams.
About 800 more chum fry start their voyage to the sea from Oak Bay this month thanks to kids from classrooms across the community.
Among them are the Willows elementary students who released chum fry into Bowker Creek near the Glenn Atkinson outdoor classroom behind Oak Bay High on Friday.
RELATED: Oak Bay fry emerge, swim to Salish Sea in bid to bring salmon back to Bowker Creek (video)
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