Spawning Time
We are so fortunate to live in a rural setting with an ocean-going river meandering through the property. The sparse population and water source give lots of opportunity to see wildlife of all kinds.
Wee are so grateful that we have begun to see the fall rains start to douse the fire danger and to control those fires that are still burning in the state, the moisture has also raised the river level and we are starting to see more and more salmon that are coming in from the ocean.
While it was still bone dry around the farm, the fish had been spotted in the deeper pools around the coastal areas. They waited until the rain caused the water levels in the upper rivers to come up before they began their arduous journey to the area where they were born so they can spawn. We have several areas along the river where we can spot them when they are in the area.
At the crossings where the water level is lower, we can watch the tops fins of fish that are about 2-3 feet in length. The distance from the ocean to here is difficult and the fish begin to deteriorate when they come into fresh water after being in the salty ocean for a couple of years. By the time they get to the farm, they are beat up, missing bits and pieces and their bright silver color has darkened to red umber on their sides or the older ones look nearly black with tender white flesh showing.
The salmon are nearly at the end of their life cycle with the females flapping rocks with their fins to make a nest in which to deposit eggs and the male fertilizing with milky sperm. As the adults go off to die, the eggs are left for Mother Nature to tend during the incubation stage so the cycle can begin again.
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Do the salmon spawn right at your farm, or go beyond? Do the black bears of this area eat salmon like the brown bears of Alaska? Maybe the black bear that roams around our farm and Judy Kolman’s will migrate to the Nehalem. (Just kidding).