Over the past 18 years, a group of dedicated volunteers have turned an abandoned commercial salmon hatchery on McKinnon’s Creek into a thriving operation which will release 90,000 salmon this year. 

These salmon will travel to the Rangitata River before attempting to spawn by returning to the creek where they were born.  

Phil de Joux, chair of Mckinnon’s Creek Salmon Hatchery says that of the 90,000 salmon released from the hatchery this year, they expect around one per cent or approximately 900 to return to the creek in three years’ time.