Little Trapper Lake Sockeye Egg Collection

The contractor is responsible for collecting eggs and milt from Little Trapper Lake sockeye stock in British Columbia, fertilizing on site, and transporting them to Port Snettisham Hatchery in Alaska. The annual egg take target is determined in season and could range from 250,000 to 2,500,000. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) will assess salmon run size and determine the target annually. The contractor will mobilize the worksite, plan and implement egg takes, provide on-site supervision, and provide logistical support.

Little Trapper Lake is located on the Inklin River, a tributary of the Taku River in north western British Columbia. Little Trapper Lake is accessible only by air. It is approximately 140 air km from Atlin, British Columbia, and 75 air km from Snettisham, Alaska. Little Trapper Lake sockeye migrate up the Taku River encountering the Canadian commercial fishery around mid to late July and enter Little Trapper Lake from early August until the end of September. Historic return information and reporting is available from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Project Authority.

Little Trapper Lake sockeye are part of a joint enhancement program on Transboundary rivers involving Canada and the United States in which an egg take is conducted to increase fisheries harvest abundance. The Transboundary Rivers Annex of the Pacific Salmon Treaty outlines the enhancement objectives for the Taku River.

The Little Trapper Lake enhancement project has been completed from 1990 through 1994 as well as 2006, 2007, 2016, 2017, and 2019 to 2023. The enhancement project includes the collection of sockeye salmon brood stock from Little Trapper Lake for egg takes and transfer of those eggs to Snettisham Hatchery in Juneau, Alaska for incubation.