Reality TV has nothing on the life cycle of a salmon. Their brief, action-packed fish years have it all; excitement, drama, courting and a fight for life over death. They even have an audience, us, and right now is a great time to tune in. It is fall, and since September, salmon have been making their journey back to their freshwater homes, where they had hatched only a few years ago. They will mate, build their nests, lay their eggs and subsequently die. Their bodies will decay and be eaten by other species, thereby nourishing the environment until the new eggs hatch and the cycle begins again. One salmon may lay 4,000 eggs in the bed of a stream, 800 may hatch, 200 may reach the sea, 10 may reach adulthood and just two may make it back to lay eggs once again in that freshwater stream. You have the opportunity to peek in on this amazing journey at viewing sites all around Puget Sound and at the Lake Washington, Cedar, Sammamish, Green and Duwamish Watersheds. Volunteer Salmon Stewards will be on hand at many of the locations to talk about salmon and our important role in their lives. One such site, Piper’s Creek at Carkeek Park, welcomes back its chum and coho with a true homecoming party, complete with kid-friendly activities, lively music and super snacks. Meet with Salmon Stewards at the creek at Carkeek Park most weekends between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and again on Nov 28 for their annual salmon homecoming bash. bill.malatinsky@seattle.gov or find them on Facebook.
If North Seattle isn’t on your route, stop by one of these easy viewing locales:
Issaquah Salmon Hatchery: Watch from the bridge or viewing windows daily through November. Guided tours every Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. through Nov 16. issaquahfish.org
Bear Creek, Redmond: Follow the short trail behind Redmond’s Keep It Simple Farm at 12526 Avondale Road NE to the creek for a self-guided tour. Docent-led tour available at Linda@kisfarm.com
Ebright and Lewis Creeks, Lake Sammamish: The red Kokanee, a salmon unique to its species which spends its entire life in fresh water, can be viewed at these locations from early November through late January.
For full Salmon SEEson informantion, check out the calendar at govlink.org/watersheds/8/action/salmon-seeson/calendar.aspx
