Quinsam River Hatchery

Contact

250-287-9564
Fax: 250-286-0261
Edward Walls

Quinsam Hatchery
4217 Argonaut Road
Campbell River, B.C.
V9H 1P3

Hours:
Open to the public: 8:00 am to 3:30 pm daily. Please telephone to confirm holiday hours.

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
  • Water management
  • Lake enrichment
  • Ocean productivity monitoring

Local Fishing and Community Involvement

Notice

We want to assure Canadians of our commitment to maintaining essential services and delivering on our project requirements while advancing measures to minimize transmission of COVID-19.

For the safety of our staff and visitors, this location will be closed to the public until further notice.

The Quinsam River Hatchery has gone through a major renovation to modernize and improve the facility and its operations. The installation of its own independent power plant makes it one of Canada’s most energy-efficient hatcheries. The hatchery has a Visitor Center with displays that provide information about the hatchery’s program, the salmon life cycle and salmonid enhancement techniques. The Quinsam River Hatchery provides support for community programs delivered by the local Community Advisor. It supplies up to eight million pink salmon eggs to the east coast of Vancouver Island, from Courtenay to Nanaimo. The Quinsam and Campbell rivers are very important as key streams for coho and chinook salmon assessment. The hatchery is involved in salmon tagging, adult recovery and biological sampling to support DFO and its Pacific Salmon Treaty obligations. The Quinsam River Hatchery is also involved in science research projects.

Directions

From Campbell River, drive west on Highway 28 towards Gold River and look for the Fish Hatchery sign. Turn left onto Quinsam Road (approximately 200 metres after the intersection with Highway 19). Follow this road for approximately 2 kilometres to the hatchery site entrance (there is a large sign that can't be missed).

 

Visiting the hatchery

The facility and surrounding rivers offer excellent opportunities to view salmon in their natural setting. Please phone ahead for information on activities. Guided tours for groups can be pre-arranged if staff is available. For the general public, there is a self-guided tour with the aid of a pamphlet. The hatchery gate is open at 8:00 am and locked at 4:00 pm. Please ensure that your vehicle is out of the area by closing time, or you will be locked in.

When can I see salmon?

Species Dates
pink adults September
chinook adults October to November
coho adults October to November