Fish Dancer Loc: Guntersville, Alabama

Thought you guys/gals might find this article interesting. It’s from our Audubon center at the Railroad Bridge Park here in Sequim Washington.



Every January we fill the River Center’s fish tank with water and river rocks, preparing for the arrival of about 300 Coho salmon eggs from the Hurd Creek Hatchery.

Throughout the spring, we watch closely as the salmon transition from eggs to alevin (a newly hatched salmon that still carries its yolk sac) that hides under the edge of rocks, an instinct to try and avoid predators. The alevin eventually emerge from the rocks and grow into their next stage (fry) and the tank becomes filled with little swimmers.

Having the salmon on display in the River Center creates a unique opportunity for our visitors to learn about salmon life-cycle, and view these amazing animals up-close!

Typically in June, after months of feeding the salmon and watching them grow, they are ready to be released into the Dungeness River. We do this, with the help of Sequim 6th graders, who come to the River Center for their field-trip focused on salmon and stewardship. Each 6th grader gets a salmon in a cup to take down to the river, names their salmon, and gives them a motivational speech for their long journey ahead!

In late March this year, our salmon began emerging from the rocks, which is always an exciting time! Once they eat up their yolk sac, they need to start being fed. Because staff was going to work from home through April, we would have no way of feeding them, or cleaning their tank.

On March 25, before closing the River Center and Railroad Bridge Park, we took the salmon down to the river for an early release.

The Coho will typically hang out in a side-channel for over a year after hatching before migrating to sea where they will travel more than 1,000 miles, looking for food.

After about two years in the ocean, the Coho will make their journey back to the Dungeness to swim upstream, spawn, and then die. Their carcasses will provide valuable nutrients and energy to the river ecosystem.

They were released under the bridge, so maybe you will see them there one day feeding on plankton or macroinvertebrates!
Please wish them luck!

Graywulff Loc: Cortez,Co.

Thanks for that Dancer, very good story very good news.

FixorFish Loc: SW Oregon

So excellent that the kids get to do such a great field trip, some will remember that fish (and maybe it's name !), till the day they die. And become respectful fisherpersons or at least have an appreciation for the Salmon's journey. I applaud this and any efforts made to educate the public, in general, as to where their food comes from and why clean water, rivers AND oceans both, are so very important to all living things..... even the trees on the banks ! Thanks for sharing "good news" !

Fish Dancer Loc: Guntersville, Alabama

You’re welcome and thanks for reading.

Graywulff Loc: Cortez,Co.

When I first saw the title to this thread I thought I was boing to be treated to some tantalizing pictures of beautifully sautéed salmon filets. The story is even better. It's just nice when I get to see folks giving back. It restores my faith.

Fish Dancer Loc: Guntersville, Alabama

Yep 👍. It was Lynny who came across the article first and thought y’all might find it interesting. And yes the title was a deliberate play on words. lol

BKC CURTIS Loc: PORTLAND OREGON

My Grandfather, Pierre Baldwin lived in a large Log House on the north side of Sequim Bay. He had 300ft. of Beach and l could fill a 5 gallon bucket 3/4s full of Little Neck Clams using a short handled Clam Rake in about 15 minutes when l was 6 years old. That was in 1953. A Clam Rake looks like a small Pitch Fork with the Tangs bent down at a 45 degree angle. The best Tool to deal with the rather large amount of small to rather large sized round rocks in the Sand in Sequim Bay there. Grampa Pierre would go down the long, very steep, wooden steps from the house to the Beach and fill Burlap Bags with Clams and then he would row out in his little Rowboat and drop them over the side with a rope tied to a Float Buoy and a man would come bye later and pick them up and weigh them and send him a check. My Grampa smoked Little Necks in his Smoker made of an old set of Dresser Draws that he replaced the bottom of the drawers with Wire Mesh Screen. He would Can them in small cans and add his Label on them and sell those too. BALDWINS CLAM RANCH Sequim Bay Washington. Thanks for ringing my Memories Bell. He also made Beer in a Bathtub in his Basement, LAGER STYLE !!! ;-)

FixorFish Loc: SW Oregon

Sounds like your Grampa and I would have gotten along just fine. Thanks for sharing, unfortunately present times certainly don't allow us to do commerce in such fashion (trusting your fellow man, as well as the passersby)... what a shame.
I just love hearing of someone re-purposing an old dresser for a smoker.... makes sense, to me, if you can keep from burning it up ! (Assuming it was a wooden piece, lol) You could check out several layers without having to let all the smoke and heat out. Nice story.

FixorFish Loc: SW Oregon

Forgot to mention the MAIN REASON your Grampa and I would have clicked.....smoked little necks.....mmmmm ! A good dark beer, maybe some sourdough crustini.....cause to pause.

BKC CURTIS Loc: PORTLAND OREGON

Grampa Pierre had a round metal 5 gallon can with a window for tossing in Wood Chips cut out in the bottom and he ran a 4 inch tube, like a Dryer Vent Tube leading out of the top of the can and up to the bottom of the elevated Dresser Drawer and had another hole cut in the top corner of the Dresser which he Baffeled with a Shingle. His Beer was a simple Blue Ribbon yellow Lager that he bottled in clear bottles. His Basement had small windows up towards the ceiling so light affected the Beer and when you opened it, it had a slight Skunky smell to it or Nose as they would call it today. Millers Beer used to be like that until they built a new bottle Wharehouse without Windows. I always wondered why Millers Beer lost its appeal to me until a Brewmaster explained the light effect on the clear bottles and about Millers old Wharehouse. I do miss that Skunky Beer.