Tofino Time -Tofino fishing: The Return of the Salmon Festival

The Return of the Salmon Festival 2002

by Lisa Stewart, Tofino

The Central Westcoast Forest Society, in partnership with Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and many community partners, invites you to the 3rd Annual Return of the Salmon Festival set for Sunday, October 27th in Tofino.

See wild Pacific salmon returning to spawn in creeks restored through grassroots effort. Taste gourmet West Coast seafood. Browse the displays, listen to the interpretive shows, learn about one of Canada's most precious resources. Share a fun and informative day with your kids.

The Return of the Salmon Festival will be hosted by Pacific Rim National Park Reserve at the Wickaninnish Interpretive Centre. The official opening ceremony will take place at 11 am in the centre's theatre or in the parking lot if weather permits. Two new signs for the Fisheries Restoration Interpretive Drive will be unveiled at the ceremony.

Guided salmon watching tours via shuttle service will take place to Salmon Creek and to the Thornton Creek Hatchery. The first tour will leave after the opening ceremonies at 11:30 am with tours to follow every half hour until the last tour of the day at 2 pm. With travel time, the tours will be approximately 90 minutes in length.

The festival will offer informative films and slide shows in the Wickaninnish Interpretive Centre theatre and an educational and fun information fair with booths set up by many different organizations and businesses including the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust, BC Salmon Marketing Council, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bamfield Marine Station and many others. Games, displays, demonstrations, and fun activities will be the focus of the fair.

Lunch will be available on site at the festival, at no charge, thanks to the efforts of Tofino's Wickaninnish Inn/Pointe Restaurant and generous local sponsors.

The festival will continue until 4 pm, giving people just enough time to get to the Wickaninnish Inn and Pointe Restaurant in Tofino Sunday evening for the 3rd Annual Wine Maker's Gourmet Fundraising Dinner with proceeds to the Central Westcoast Forest Society and the Tofino Salmon Enhancement Society. The featured winery this year is Burrowing Owl from Oliver, BC. (Tickets are limited.)

On Saturday, October 26 an evening of information will be offered with special guests visiting the West Coast for the festival. The special evening will take place at the Ucluelet Athletic Centre (UAC Hall) at 7 pm. Refreshments are provided at no charge.

" The Return of the Salmon Festival is an exciting idea that wouldn't be possible without a great deal of cooperation and commitment from area groups, businesses, and individuals," says Len Dziama, General Manager of the CWFS.

It's a win-win situation. We get to educate people about salmon, we get to talk about the important work of the society and its partners, and by making it an annual event, with the communities‚ help, we can hopefully extend this area's tourism season."