The Ontario Community Hatchery Program (CHP) is recognizing hundreds of volunteers who run the provinces 37 community based fish hatcheries.
One of those hatcheries is operated by sports fishing enthusiasts with the 300-member Bruce Peninsula Sportsmen’s Association (BPSA). The BPSA hatchery in South Bruce Peninsula on the southwest shore of Georgian Bay is the longest operating volunteer run community hatchery in Ontario.
All photos are pre-Pandemic in 2019
The CHP recognition comes during National Volunteer Week (April 19-25, 2020) which recognizes more than 12-million Canadian volunteers who CHP says “deserve our cheers for their dedication and generosity”.
Across Ontario CHP members put in more than 93-thousand hours a year raising, feeding and stocking fish for the sports fishery. Since the sixties BPSA has stocked more than 4-million fish. Each stocked fish is worth an estimated $35 dollars to the community where it is stocked.
During the current PANDEMIC all BPSA club programs are on hold until further notice, except fish feeding and hatchery maintenance being done by four volunteers working on one week rotations.
National Volunteer Week #NVW2020 is a time to celebrate and thank Canada’s 12.7 million #volunteers. Community hatchery volunteers raise millions of fish each year to be released into Ontario’s public waters!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! To help at a community hatchery in Ontario visit our volunteer map to find a facility near you!
The Community Hatchery Program is funded by the province and operated by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. www.communityhatcheries.com/volunteer/
