Tuesday, May 25, 2010

If a Chinook salmon is spawned in a fish hatchery, does it return to the hatchery to spawn? YEP!

As Hannah and I approached Marblemount, we noticed a sign for the fish hatchery.  We went exploring and had the most interesting conversation with a fish biologist.  She gave us a tour of the tagging and sorting trailer where they were working on Chinook salmon.  It was amazing to watch.

Eatch little fish was "vacuumed" up into the trailer where they were sorted by size, tagged with a wire tag in their bottom lip and their fin clipped.  Keep in mind, the fish were only two to three inches long!  They will eventually be released into the Skagit River.  Sportsmen have cetain requirements when fishing for salmon and the tagging process helps with this process and more improtantly, studying the migration patterns of the fish and how they are faring in today's world.

There were several large Chinook salmon who were approaching spawning season and we went to view them in one of the hatchery raceways.  I guess they're a little shy because they swan away the moment we approached the edge of their doman and they are FAST!

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