Clipped Fish Caught at Wawa Salmon Derby

A special fish was reeled in during the Wawa Salmon Derby.

Thunder Bay Salmon Association member Len Doherty explains the organization runs a hatchery, and it appears one of those fish ended up as an entry in the local derby.

Doherty notes the Thunder Bay hatchery releases 250,000 fingerlings into Lake Superior - through the Kam River - each year, using eggs collected in the fall - usually from the Nipigon River - but he says there could be a local tie in the future.

Doherty adds his presence at the Wawa derby was a coincidence - he just likes to attend the event.

Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry also had a presence, collecting samples - stomachs, scale, and fins - from salmon and lake trout, so they could be analyzed for stomach contents, genetics, weight, and age, to keep an eye on the health of the fishery.