FILE PHOTO - Kokanee salmon in Mission Creek Regional Park.

(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)

September is salmon spawning season and thousands of fish are returning to where they were born to lay eggs, and start the life cycle all over again.

iNFOnews has created a list of popular salmon watching spots in the Interior, the largest being the sockeye salmon run on the Adams River.

Tsútswecw Provincial Park

The Adams River has one of the largest sockeye salmon runs in North America, according to B.C. Parks.

Every fourth year has a dominant salmon run, meaning that millions of fish return to their spawning grounds. The Adams River Salmon Society coordinate the celebration known as the “Salute to the Sockeye” during the dominant years, according to B.C. Parks.

The next dominant year will be in 2022, said Laura Sloan, with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

During the last three weeks of October in years where there isn’t a dominant or sub-dominant return, a small number of salmon begin their spawning cycle. The best place to view spawning salmon is the viewing platform located approximately 300 metres west of the parking lot, according to B.C. Parks.

Visit the Tsútswecw Provincial Park (formerly the Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park) in early October to see the salmon for yourselves.

READ MORE: Sockeye salmon run in Shuswap shaping up to be lower than expected

Hardy Falls Regional Park

A popular location to see spawning, land-locked, kokanee in Peachland, the salmon are best seen in Deep Creek during spawning season.

Park interpreters will be giving free information sessions at the park’s location on the lifecycle of the salmon Sept. 9 and 23. The salmon can be seen throughout September as they return to lay eggs.

Mission Creek Regional Park

Learn more about the Okanagan’s salmon, which return in droves to spawn in another popular regional park location.

Residents can register to learn more about kokanee life cycles by joining a park interpreter on Sept. 16 and 30. Social distancing measures will be in place and online registration is required through the park's website.

For more information on kokanee and other Environmental Education Centre for the Okanagan and park programs visit the Regional District of Central Okanagan website here or contact the environmental education centre at 250-469-6140.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Kokanee Creek Provincial Park

One of the top spots in the Interior to experience kokanee salmon returns, Meadow Creek spawning channels are also very active and produce between 10 to 15 million fry annually with a survival rate of 45 per cent, according to Nelson and Kootenay Lake Tourism.

You can see the salmon from August until mid-October.

READ MORE: B.C. Wildlife Federation fights back over Thompson steelhead populations

Did we miss your favourite spot? Let us know in the comments below.

- This story was originally published Sept. 2, 2020.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Carli Berry or call 250-864-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.

News from © iNFOnews, 2021