Omega Pacific Hatchery co-owner Carol Schmitt finally got her wish.
Last Thursday afternoon, on the side of a dusty logging road about 20 kilometres down Alberni Inlet, Schmitt and a small handful of volunteers released 65,000 Chinook smolts that were raised at Omega for the past year and a half.
“This is a treat,” said Jake Leyenaar, from the Alberni Valley Enhancement Association. He praised Schmitt for “thinking outside the box” when it came to rebuilding salmon stocks.