Seymour River Hatchery educates about the Seymour River and relevance of the salmonids it supports.

Seymour Hatchery educates about the Seymour River and relevance of the salmonids it supports. We engage with our community by educating youth and speaking to everyone about the importance of salmon and the vital role they play in the watershed. 

Our education program has been delivered at our facility for almost 30 years and typically operates with one elementary school class per day to maximize student participation. Our program is called Gently Down the Seymour (GDS) and is open to all Grade 2 – 6 elementary school classes that are interested in visiting our centre. A GDS field trip continues to expand student learning of the salmon life cycle to include experience and observation of salmon habitat and the surrounding watershed ecosystems.

Students, teachers and parents connect with their local watershed and gain a greater understanding of how humans influence natural ecosystems. We know that hands on learning is the best way for visitors to become invested in salmon and their habitat.

Funding for GDS program is solely via community donations and is not covered by our core operational funding. This generous community support enables us to provide 55 classes in Spring and an additional 20 classes during the Fall each year, which is approximately 2,000 students per year.