KAMLOOPS — A massive rescue effort took place at Jacko Lake this weekend to save the lives of more than 1,000 fish.
The trout ended up in marshy grasslands after the lake overflowed on Saturday.
Conservation officer Kevin Van Damme said people enjoying a day at the lake sprung into action, helping the fish back into deeper water.
“We assisted those folks in getting the fish back into the lake,” said Van Damme.
“We netted the fish with just small fishing nets, and put them into totes, and drove them about a kilometre up the road, and put them back in the lake.”
Van Damme said Ajax also pitched in by putting up a snow fence to prevent more fish from leaving the lake.
He said the rescue was a big effort.
“We probably moved anywhere from 800 to 1,000 fish,” Van Damme said.
“All in all there was some 30 folks who were just going fishing and recreating in the area and they all chipped in and helped out. It was quite an effort.”
Van Damme said upwards of 200 more fish were saved on Sunday. However, approximately 50 fish could not be saved.
