Having been around for 110 years, the Nanaimo Fish and Game Protective Association continues to offer instruction on firearm safety and wildlife conservation.
The association was founded in 1905 and has been headquartered at a facility on Nanaimo Lakes Road since 1956. This past weekend, the association held its annual turkey shoot fundraiser and proceeds will go towards a number of environmental projects.
“This summer we did a project on Haslam Creek going into Nanaimo River, right at the end of the airport, and they dug out and put in a lot of enforcement on the bank, so it wouldn’t erode the bank and planted willows around it,” said Al Brown, past-president.
Another activity is The Pinks for the Pier project that releases pink fry bred at Nanaimo River Hatchery. Fred Adkins, association spokesman, said at spawning time, a net is stretched across a shallow spot of the river and people in wet suits slowly swim upriver. Fish are collected, put into tanks and transported to the hatchery.
“They’re stripped of their roe and milt,” said Adkins. “The eggs are artificially inseminated and reared up there until they’re at a stage where they bring them back to the pens at the harbour.”
The association offers a place to practise and learn a number of shooting-related disciplines, including rifle, pistol and skeet shooting. Archery is also offered and is seeing a bit of a renaissance, according to Adkins.
“Since Hunger Games has come on, archery is just taking off,” said Adkins. “So we’re actually building another archery building. [The current] one is only six lanes ... they’re building a 14-lane one.”
Adkins said new members are always welcome – the current total is 1,900 members.
For more information, please go to www.nanaimofishandgameclub.com.