Ethan Heffern, ran to the creek, as fast as he could with his pale full of thrashing fish.
When he got to the creek, he jumped in the stream, his mission clear – release the trout.
He tilted his bucket as he said his final goodbyes to all the fishes he had just named.
It was a bittersweet moment for Ethan, as he told other trout-releasers, he had so far helped release 100 trout at least into their new homes.
“The fishes are going to their new homes, and then we will go fishing and find them again,” Ethan said.
Ethan was not alone; many kids had been running up and down the length of the MNRF tanks that temporarily housed the fish. Each of them excited to release the fish.
The 10th Annual Junction Creek Festival and Trout Release hosted by the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee at Twin Forks Playground gave the eager ones the opportunity to learn more about the various turtles, aquatic bugs and other flora and fauna that call Junction Creek their home.
Along with the learning opportunity, the festival-goers helped release thousands of the brook trout into the stream.
“The festival is a great opportunity for the community to learn about the biodiversity that exists within Junction creek and help us in restoring the population of Junction Creek,” Miranda Virtanen, co-ordinator of the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee said.
The trout release is part of the committee’s restoration efforts of the creek.
“The brook trout are susceptible to water quality, so not many make it, however with our efforts every year we have seen the trout population to be thriving,” Virtanen said.
The trout are part of fish stocking efforts conducted by Ministry of Natural Resource and Forestry (MNRF) throughout the province.
If you missed out on the fish release opportunity, we have you covered with our photo gallery.
