(Whitehorse) – One of the Yukon's most popular tourist attractions has just gotten even better. Yukon Energy's Whitehorse Rapids fishladder opened today for another season, offering newly purchased underwater cameras, a TV monitor and a new freshwater fish aquarium. The added equipment will make the facility more informative and enjoyable to the public.
"The four underwater cameras are quite something," said Jim McIntyre of the Yukon Fish and Game Association, the group that operates the facility for Yukon Energy. "They allow people to view fish from different locations starting from a holding pool at the entrance of the ladder and then moving up through the ladder." A TV monitor inside the viewing facility has the ability to show a full screen shot of each camera or it can split the screen to show all four camera shots at once.
The Yukon government's Department of Environment provided $5,000 to cover the cost of the camera equipment, and gave another $1000 for the new aquarium, which contains a variety of fresh water fish including rainbow trout and arctic char.
"We're very excited about the addition of this new equipment," Yukon Energy spokesperson Janet Patterson said. "People can now see the fish like they never have before, and I think it will give them an even greater appreciation of the amazing life story of these creatures."
Other improvements to the facility planned for later this summer include interpretive talks and display materials that will focus on traditional First Nations' use of the Whitehorse portion of the Yukon River.
The fishladder was built following the construction of the Whitehorse dam in 1959 to allow migrating Chinook salmon and other species to pass by the structure.
The facility is open to the public from June 1 till the Labour Day long weekend. It's one of the principal tourism attractions in Yukon, drawing approximately 30,000 visitors annually. In 2002, the fishway was given two awards from Attractions Canada, a national program recognizing excellence in tourism.
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