(1) The wife, the child, and I drove out near Auburn to visit one of the many Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife fish hatcheries. We were there to see how many Chinook salmon had made their way up the Green River.
(2) Chinook salmon awaiting their moment to spawn.
(3) A walkway and containment pond on Soos Creek. This setup helps WDFW keep the salmon in place in order that they can ensure a successful spawning, and, therefore, many years of salmon runs to come.
(4) On-site signage explains the hatchery operation, as well as the life-cycle and environs of various types of salmon and trout.
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We also stopped on a small bridge near the hatchery to watch salmon spawning in the wild. A female salmon had found her perfect nesting spot and was preparing it by kicking up the silt as she "flopped" her body side to side. Two males were "fighting" over the right to fertilize her eggs, although it really looked more like a choreographed dance. The child (who claims to want to be a zookeeper) was quickly bored by the proceedings, while the wife and I just kept standing and watching nature in all of its wonder and beauty and mortality, finding it difficult to pull ourselves away.
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