Millions of coho, chinook and steelhead are released each year. The best time to visit is in September and October when massive numbers of returning fish can be viewed from fish ladders. The hatchery holds an open house each October when the Chinook return. The Port Alberni area history is preserved at the Alberni Valley Museum in the Echo Centre on Wallace Street. Exhibits feature area history, fishing, agriculture, Native culture, mining and forestry.
Children are welcome to delve into the hands-on displays.
Sproat Lake not only boasts a fully provisioned provincial park complete with petroglyphs, but is also the home base for the massive Martin Mars Water Bombers, still used to fight forest fires on the island and around the province. At the Quay, too, are a modern restaurant and commercial complex with excellent shopping and dining for visitors. You can also while away an afternoon wandering through a myriad of art galleries and gift shops. The McLean Mill National Historic Site , located on Smith Road, off Beaver Creek Road, is the last working steam-powered sawmill in western Canada. The M.V. Lady Rose cruises the coast from Port Alberni to Bamfield and Ucluelet.