Salmon Spawning

The day after Thanksgiving is a good time to check out salmon runs. The boys and I had a chance to do just that with my parents, and this creek was a mine field. The timing and quantity of salmon spawning varies from year to year; we were fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.

Isn't it amazing to think these chum salmon spent years migrating thousands of miles in the Pacific before instinctively returning to this freshwater creek where they were born? What an incredibly fascinating life cycle.
Equally fascinating is the actual spawning process. The female prepares the gravel bed where she'll lay her eggs, while the male swims about anxiously waiting to fertilize them.

And that, of course, is their last act before succumbing to death. Throughout the short spawning season, dead salmon accumulate along the creek while the eggs await hatching and the process begins anew.