Tenderfoot Creek Hatchery

On this page

• About us
• Visiting the hatchery
• Key activities
• Local fishing and community involvement
• When can I see salmon?

About us

Construction of the Tenderfoot Creek Hatchery began in 1981. The facility was built to provide fishing opportunities for First Nations, recreational and commercial fishers. The hatchery focuses on enhancing coho, pink, chum and chinook salmon stocks in the Squamish River watershed. In sustaining salmon stocks, the hatchery also helps to maintain the local population of bald eagles. The hatchery uses rafts and gillnets to capture coho and chinook salmon, which is a technique unique to this hatchery. The hatchery releases more than 3.3 million smolts each year. It is also involved in a number of partnership initiatives such as the West Vancouver netpen program, the Squamish Terminals netpen program, as well as in producing eggs for a number of hatcheries and projects in Vancouver and Bowen Island.

Visiting the hatchery

For the health and safety of our visitors and staff, public washrooms are currently closed.

Directions

Head north of Vancouver by following Highway 99 and look for hatchery signs just before the junction at Alice Lake Provincial Park. Turn left onto Squamish Valley Road. Travel four kilometres west to Cheekye and take the right fork (Paradise Valley Road). Continue for four kilometres and turn right onto Midnight Way (heading south) and continue for another one kilometre.

Tours

There are self-guided tours of the site and information signs. Guided tours can be accommodated as operations allow. Please call Telephone: 604-898-3657 in advance to ask about tour availability and for further information.

Key activities

• Fish production to support sustainable fisheries
• Stock conservation
• Stewardship and education
• Habitat restoration
• Stock assessment
• Coded wire tagging
• First Nations partnerships
• External partnerships

Local fishing and community involvement

• Freshwater: Region 2 - Lower Mainland
• Tidal Waters: Area 28 (Lower Mainland/Sunshine Coast)
• Community Projects: West Vancouver and Howe Sound

When can I see salmon?