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 In 1902, the government of Canada established the Margaree Fish Hatchery, the first establishment of slamon culture in Nova Scotia.  Every year, the fish hatcher in Margaree produces 10,00 small salmon and 45,000 young salmon in order to rebuild the population of salmon in Margaree. It's objective is to produce salmon of very high quality for projects to increase the security of salmon, which are funded by the federal and provincial governments, as well as for research projects and participation of the collectivity. 
1 - Main fish hatchery establishment. 2 - Warehouse 3 - Pond 4 - Eight circular ponds. 5 - Administrator residence. 6 - Summer-house. 7 - Sizteen extention ponds (4x50 feet) 8 - Workroom. 9 - Food Warehouse. 10 - Twelve breeding ponds. 11 - Generating instillation warehouse. 12 - Four breeding ponds. 13 - Deep hatchery. 14 - Pedestrian's pond. 15 - Pumping Station.  The Adult Salmon are caught at the end of their reproduction when they return to their river of birth after spending winter or two at sea. We keep them in large pools until they are ready to spawn. The production of eggs is directly proportional to the size of the female, there are 1500 to 1800 eggs per Kilogram. The Atlantic salmon can spawn up to 5 or 6 times in the wild.  The eggs are caught and fertilized at the begining of nevember. During the incubation which lasts all winter, they develop slowly in the cold water. The hatcing takes place between mid-April and mid-May and we get the Alevin in ideal conditions, in the fish hatchery 85% of the eggs hatch.  The alevins, which measure about 2cm in length, eat with the help of a sack between four and six weeks. When the sack is almost gone, the fish emerge as tiny salmon which start to swim freely. They are called fingerlings (fish the length of a finger).  We move the fingerlings into a bigger resivoir where they start to eat small particles of food, articially prepared and enriched with vitamins. When they reach about 3 or 4 cm, we transfer then to the outer spawning pools where they stay for the rest of their stay at the hatchery. When they measure 8 cm long, and 9 t p11 dark strips appear on their side, it means they have become small salmon.  In the wild, they remain small salmon for 2 to 7 years. In the hatcheries where the temperature of the water is controled and there is lots of food, they can become young salmon in 1 or 2 years. When the salmon looses its camoflauge (dark strips), it gains a silver shine, and they measure between 13 to 21 cm.  Most fish hatcheries release the small salmon that reach the stage of young salmon. The young salmon undergoes an extrodinary transformation at lets it adapt to salt water. Once they reach the sea, where they eat a lot, they grow to their full size. When it is mature, it returns to the river of it's birth to spawn. |
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Main The Atlantic Salmon The Salmon Life Cycle The Fisheries Managing The Resource Aquaculture Brook Trout Hatchery Process Image Gallery | ||
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