One of Yukon Energy's key values is to support environmental responsibility in our operations. The fishway and the fish hatchery are good examples of this. The operation of the fishladder and viewing facility demonstrates stewardship and responsibility for the environment by helping to conserve the many species of freshwater fish that live in the Yukon River system and aiding the salmon in their long journey from the sea.
For thousands of years, hundreds of Chinook salmon - born several years earlier in the Yukon River's tributaries – have left the Bering Sea and returned to their natal stream to spawn. The salmon laid their eggs in the gravel, these eggs hatched and new salmon grew in the glacier-fed waters. The young salmon made their way back to the ocean, only to return in a few years to begin the cycle anew.
The cycle continued, uninterrupted, until the late 1950s, when the Northern Canada Power Commission (NPCP) built the Whitehorse Rapids Hydroelectric Dam to meet the electricity needs of a growing community. In 1959, the Whitehorse Fishway was built to help this ancient migration continue. In 1983 and 1984, the Whitehorse Fish Hatchery and a salmon transplant program were started in a further effort to build and maintain the salmon stocks.
The Yukon Energy Corporation took over NCPC's assets in 1987, including the fishway and hatchery.
At the interpretation centre in the fishway, you can view fish through the underwater window and learn more about the salmon and other fish species from displays inside the building and the viewing platforms above the Yukon River.
The Yukon Fish and Game Association operates the interpretation programs at the centre on behalf of Yukon Energy. Every summer, between 20,000 and 25,000 people come to see and learn about the fishway. We hope you are among them!
The Whitehorse Fishway is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in June, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in July, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. when the salmon are running in August. Admission is by a suggested donation of $3 per person, or you can purchase a season's pass for the whole family for $10. For further information, please call (867) 633-5965.
The Whitehorse Fishway has been rated the number one visitor attraction in Whitehorse. It is also a favoured destination for local residents, many of whom return repeatedly throughout the season.
In 2002, the Whitehorse Fishway was given two awards by Attractions Canada, a national program recognizing excellence in tourism. The awards, in the categories of Developed Outdoor Site and Attraction of National Interest, pay tribute to the Fishway's reputation, outreach and leadership beyond the Yukon territory.
2009 was the 50th anniversary of the fishladder! To mark the event, Yukon Energy had this podcast produced, which tells the story of the fishladder. We also worked with close to 100 Yukoners to have a special public art piece created, which has been installed at the fishladder.
Yukon Energy is always looking for ways to improve our interpretive centre. We have expanded our children's area and added more activities and games for our young visitors. As well, we have purchased a high powered microscope that allows viewers to examine fish scales and otoliths (bony structures located in the inner ear of the fish), both of which help determine the fish's age.
The fishladder has underwater cameras and TV monitors to make your viewing more enjoyable and informative. The cameras allow you to see the fish from different locations starting from a holding pool at the entrance of the ladder and moving up through the ladder. We have also set up a web cam so that people can view the migrating salmon and freshwater fish via their home or office computer.
Our aboriginal interpretive program includes talks by First Nation elders and displays that help visitors learn more about the traditional use of the Yukon River. We also have new interpretive signage, a slideshow that can be viewed inside the interpretive building, a new video that focusses on the importance salmon play in the lives of so many Northerners, and brochures that include a great deal of information about the chinook salmon.
There's always something to see and do at the fishway...one visit is never enough!
The barrier dam is a low concrete structure that spans the river, preventing fish from swimming up into the turbulent water on the other side of the spillway. The concrete wall is built at an angle to direct fish to the entrance to the fishway.
The entry at the bottom of the fish ladder offers a good resting place. The flow of water in the fishway can be adjusted by valves to attract the fish into the ladder.
The ladder is built in a series of steps. It is about 366 metres long and rises over 15 metres in steps. The flow of water through each section creates a series of eddies, which allows the fish to rest between steps but still provides enough flow to encourage the fish to continue swimming.
About halfway along the ladder, the fish enter a holding area. At this point you can view the fish through the observation window in the interpretation building. Once in the holding tank, gates on both sides are closed temporarily while staff observe and record the size, sex and condition of the fish. Also at this time, some Chinook salmon are collected for the brood stock program at the Whitehorse Rapids Fish Hatchery.
The salmon that hatch in the streams near Whitehorse travel more than 3,000 kilometres to the Bering Sea. No big deal, you say, it's all downstream. Perhaps, but later in life, they make the same trip back upstream.
Four to six years after leaving the creeks where they hatched from eggs, Chinook salmon travel all the way from the ocean, returning to spawn in the stream where they were born.
For the three months it takes salmon to swim from the Bering Sea to Whitehorse, they don't eat anything, relying instead on stored body fat for energy.
After their 3,000-kilometre swim upstream, Chinook climb the 366-metre long fish ladder, believed to be the longest wooden fish ladder in the world.
Chinook salmon lay an average of 5,000 eggs when they spawn. Of these, only about 10 per cent will make it to the fry, or juvenile fish, stage.
The Chinook salmon die shortly after spawning. A sad ending to a heroic tale. However, the dead salmon become food for many animals and birds, including bears and eagles.
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