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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2010
Surrey City Orchestra has fun with ‘Carnival of Animals’ for concert to feature school students – page 17 ❚SOUTH SURREY
Record chinook run brings big smiles to Little Campbell River The Fraser River isn’t the only Michael BOOTH local stream boasting a surge in Staff Reporter the numbers of returning salmon. In South Surrey, the Little Campbell River is enjoying a modest fish boom of its own with a record run of chinook and impressive early returns of coho. With the main body of fish already past the counting trap at the Little Campbell River Fish Hatchery, the 2010 run has featured 782 fish, of which 446 were wild Chinook and 336 from hatchery stock. The numbers have shattered the previous record for returning chinook to the river. The species was introduced to the Little Campbell in 1980 and prior to this year, the record run for this variety of salmon was 385 fish in 2001. “The chinook numbers are really encouraging because we were so concerned based on the previous two years’ returns being so poor,” said Roy Thomson, a volunteer at the hatchery. “Even though it’s an introduced species, we had serious concerns about the viability of the run in the river.” If the chinook numbers weren’t enough cause for smiles around the hatchery, the early returns on coho are equally impressive. The annual run is only roughly halfway complete and already 1,873 fish have made their way upstream. As of Tuesday, 1,791 of those were wild stock and with the bulk of the hatchery fish still en route, Thomson said the early returns leave him cautiously optimistic. “The only numbers we can really talk about are the chinook because the run is almost over,” he said. “The coho numbers are good so far but it’s still only 50 per cent of last year’s run, which was an excellent run with 3,600 fish. It’s still too early to say how good this run will be because we’re maybe halfway into it now. A normal year is around 2,000 fish so we already know this is a good year. The question now is, will this be a record year with numbers better than last year?” That question should be answered in the next week or so and with steady rain featured in the weather forecast, the fish should be arriving shortly. Members of the public are welcome to visit the hatchery (1284 184th St.) to witness the salmon come through the traps, but timing is important. “The day after a good heavy rain, that’s when you should see the coho coming up in numbers,” Thomson said. “You just go by the rainfall and if you want to see fish at the trap, that’s when you should come.” He added that when fish are running, there are always volunteers on hand to answer questions.
Chinook salmon
INSIDE: Students fish for rainbow trout with help from local society – page 10
HAPPY HALLO...WEDDING?
Newlyweds Nicole and Dain Millman pose for a photograph at Potters’ House of Horror in Newton on Saturday, before they exchanged vows at their latest annual Halloween party held at their home nearby. ❚PHOTO/
contributed
Halloween-loving Newton couple ties the knot at their yearly house party, where a candle nearly ruined everything Every year for the past seven, Dain Tom ZILLICH Millman and his live-in girlfriend, Staff Reporter Nicole, have hosted a rip-roaring Halloween party. “We’re both Halloween fanatics,” Nicole raved. This time around, the party was an extra special affair, with wedding vows involved. Last Saturday, they tied the knot in creepy costumes — hers involving a hint of blood on her face, his with ghoulish makeup and torn clothing. Two months ago, they began decorating their Newton home for the big day, which involved a few dozen guests dressed for the occasion. “Lots of thought went into everyone’s costumes, it was great,” Nicole told the Now. “Everybody really got into it this year.” Seven rooms had a theme for the night — among them, a castle setting in the living room, a spooky forest room, torture chamber on the back patio, science lab in the kitchen and a candle-lit parlour Dracula would have adored.
“I love the atmosphere of Halloween,” Nicole said. “It’s not that I want to scare anybody, I just like the look. We both do.” It was her third wedding, his second — and she proposed to him earlier this year. “My first was the big white wedding, and then I did the Vegas thing,” Nicole said. “But this one was special, very meaningful.” Before the ceremony, the bridal party put on their costumes and drove to nearby Potters’ House of Horrors for an hour of photographs. It was a perfect setting. “Every year, our house looks close to Potters at Halloween, but not as gory,” Nicole said with a laugh. At the party that night, things really got scary when the leaf on a centrepiece caught fire, thanks to a candle. “It didn’t get too out of control,” Nicole said of the small blaze that resulted. “One of guests, in a full monkey suit, was brave and put out the fire, but his costume caught on fire a little bit.”