The staff at Pillar Creek Hatchery provides countless hatchery tours to members of the public, visitors to Kodiak, and classes from our public and private schools. Tours include a brief presentation on annual hatchery operations and an opportunity to see the different functions of the facility from incubation to rearing. Check out Pillar Creek Hatchery on Youtube!
Due to its remote setting, Kitoi Bay Hatchery hosts fewer tours than Pillar Creek Hatchery. However, if you are able to fly or boat to Afognak Island and would like to tour the facility, the staff at Kitoi is always willing to show guests around.
Each November, Kodiak's fourth grade students take a field trip to observe Pillar Creek Hatchery's coho salmon egg take. During the trip KRAA staff provide a presentation that includes salmon identification, life cycle and anatomy. Following the presentation, KRAA staff demonstrate to the students how hatchery personnel collect eggs and milt from coho salmon.
Approximately 250 eggs are taken to each participating school and placed in the classroom incubator (fish tank). The students observe the changes throughout the winter as the eggs progress from an eyed egg to the newly-hatched alevin, and finally fry. The students also record the daily temperature. In the early spring, when the alevin absorb their yolk sacs and become fry, they must be fed. Pillar Creek Hatchery provides each classroom with a supply of salmon food. At the end of the school year, the salmon fry are released into Island Lake, and the students take a field trip to Pillar Creek Hatchery.
Every year all Kodiak elementary schools participate in the Ocean Science Discovery Lab where they experience various stations to learn more about our ocean’s ecosystems followed by a visit to the touch tanks. KRAA team members participated by being scientists of the day educating our communities children and supporting a long running program.
The Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak Natural Resources Department and Kodiak Soil and Water Conservation District are leading Signal Crayfish removal from the Buskin Lake. Signal Crayfish are not native to Kodiak and have the potential to damage salmon habitat. KRAA has participated in nearly all of the derbys and assisted in the removal of many of these invasive species. See the following links for further information:
Sun'aq - Invasive Monitoring and Control
KRAA and Pillar Creek Hatchery provided a fish tank display and information booth during the Kodiak ComFish Trade Show. Guests at the trade show had the opportunity to engage with different KRAA staff to discuss KRAA projects and learn more about the Association’s mission and goals.
