Something Fishy in Olympia

In our last Nature Minute, I discussed the elk rut and mating season for other large mammals. Today we jump into the rivers with the spawning salmon. Washington has seven salmonids native to its many glacier-fed rivers. They are Chinook, coho, pink, chum, and sockeye salmon, plus steelhead and cutthroat trout. All of them hatch in rivers, migrate to the ocean, and then return to their birth river (most of the time) to spawn and die. It is believed they recognize their river by smell, although following Earth’s magnetic field can’t be ruled out. Pinks stand out from this group because they have a life cycle of exactly two years and only return to spawn in odd numbered years. All of these amazing fish might be found in the same rivers, but nature has its way of ensuring each species spawns in different areas at different times.

I had the pleasure of watching the Deshutes River Chinook at Tumwater Falls Park. 

This river is not in its original condition. Mills and hydropower stations were built along the falls in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, and a dam near downtown Olympia created Capital Lake and eliminated the tidal marshes. However, there is still a decent salmon run every year and I got to be a part of it this year.

The spawning beds (also called redds) are below the lower falls. The splashing sound I kept hearing was the females using their tales to dig out a spot in the gravel for their eggs. 

Above and below: female Chinook salmon digging out redds

I didn’t see any salmon jumping up the falls, although there were a few below the upper falls. I also managed to snap a picture of one flying below the lower falls near the redds. 

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a.... fish?

Coho and chum salmon will be the next to come to Deshutes for spawning.