A crew of volunteers uses a big net to herd the fish through a one-kilometre tunnel.
A tradition that began almost 3/2 decades ago continued on a fine fall Saturday north and west of Fort Macleod.
About 50 people turned out for the annual fish rescue organized by the Peigan Friends Along the River.
Some of the volunteers rescuing fish from the drained irrigation canal have been turning out since the beginning of an event in 1990 that has seen more than 300,000 fish rescued.
“There are a lot of familiar faces,” said Harley Bastien, who with a small group of friends organized the first rescue 34 years ago.
Trout, mountain whitefish and many other species of fish are tapped each year when the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District drains the canal for winter.
The volunteers gathered at the irrigation canal 10 kilometres northwest of Fort Macleod just off Highway 785 mid morning, with a small group of about eight people dispatched to where the canal meets the Oldman River.
Holding a large net, they entered the dark flume for the roughly one kilometre walk.
“They get behind them and they herd the fish,” Bastien explained.
The journey took about an hour to reach the opening where about 20 people wearing everything from hip waders to shorts and sandals waited with hand-hold nets to scoop the fish.
Once scooped, the fish are placed in plastic buckets that are hauled up the canal walls.
From there, the roughly 25 volunteers waiting above the canal transition the fish to holding tanks so data can be collected.
Once that happens, the fish are put in oxygenated holding tank so they can be transported and returned to the Oldman River.
Brown, rainbow and bull trout, mountain whitefish, northern pike, sturgeon, spoonhead sculpin and other fish are returned to the river for a chance to extend their life span.
“We are rescuing all species,” and not just the prime sport fish, Bastien said.
The volunteers make several passes with the net through the canal to ensure as many fish as possible are rescued.
The fish rescue has earned a strong reputation, being nominated several times for an Alberta Emerald environmental award, and being included on the Crown of the Continent geo-tourism map.
Volunteers come from the Piikani Nation, Fort Macleod, Lethbridge, Calgary, Turner Valley, Black Diamond and other centres.
A barbecue is held at the end of the day to celebrate the successful rescue operation.
