Chinook salmon have made the long, arduous journey from the Pacific Ocean to our local rivers to spawn. Chinook salmon are an anadromous fish species. They are born in freshwater, move downstream to the ocean to live and grow for most of their life, and then return to freshwater to spawn (usually to the same waters where they were born).
The video was taken during the last week of October from the bridge at Knights Ferry Recreation Area. It shows a female and male Chinook salmon during spawning. While he guards her from potential other male salmon, she is busy digging out her nest (aka, redd) by scooping and sweeping the river bottom with her tail. After she deposits thousands of eggs in the redd, they are immediately fertilized by the male, and then quickly covered with gravel. They both stand guard over their nest.
Sadly, habitat loss, inaccessibility to historical spawning grounds due to dams, and many other factors have impacted the Chinook salmon population in our local watersheds. Hopefully with education and public appreciation for this amazing species, in addition to watershed restoration, these fish will make a comeback!
So come celebrate the annual upstream journey of the Chinook salmon! The 10th Annual Stanislaus River Salmon Festival will be held on Saturday, November 10th at the Knights Ferry Recreation Area. This is a free kid-friendly event from 10 am - 3 pm with educational booths, food, and of course, plenty of salmon viewing.
Stop by CSERC's booth and say hello! Click on the flyer to get more info about the event. Hope to see you there!
