On our way back from Wynyard, we decided to take an alternative route home to Regina via the resort community of Fort Qu'appelle. I have never travelled home this way before from Wynyard. I wasn't sure what this drive would be like given that the highway that goes down to Fort Qu'appelle is a secondary one. To my pleasant surprise, the highway wasn't bad at all. A bit narrower and slightly rougher than the primary highway that goes to Wynyard but good nonetheless.
When we arrived in Fort Qu'appelle, the town and the nearby Echo Valley Provincial Park were hopping due the long weekend tourists. I ended up making a mistake in my navigation through town and we found ourselves driving in cottage country (though I wouldn't call many of these houses "cottages" - "mansions" would be more like it!) on the scenic route through Echo Valley. This turned out to be a serendipitous mistake though. As we were driving along, we approached the Saskatchewan Fish Hatchery facility. I had not been to this place in perhaps twenty-five years. I asked the family if they wanted to stop and take a look and they said yes.
The last time I was at the hatchery it was during the early spring and off-season. There wasn't much going on at the facility. This time, we were greeted by a friendly member of the staff who showed us around inside and explained some things about the different types of fish that are raised there and where they end up throughout Saskatchewan. He also explained that the facility is the only hatchery in Saskatchewan and serves an important purpose in stocking lakes throughout the province. Luckily, we arrived at the hatchery in the late afternoon, just in time for feeding. We were able to observe the feeding of the small and medium-sized fish residing in the indoor display tanks as well as the more mature fish in the nearby outdoor pond.
The fish were extremely well-conditioned. As soon as the staff member approached the tanks the fish immediately became more active. They knew that it was time to eat. This was even more obvious in the outdoor pool. As soon as we walked up the amount of activity increased tremendously.
Stopping at the hatchery turned out to be an unexpected and fun experience. My family had never been to a fish hatchery and it was wonderful that we were able to see more of it than just the small tanks inside. It's an impressive facility and something that we should be proud to have in Saskatchewan.
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