Salmon Days!
This weekend is Salmon days in Issaquah and despite the horribly rainy day I enjoyed visiting the local hatchery and talking to a few people from F.I.S.H. (Friends of Issaquah Salmon Hatchery). Going for salmon days was quite a no-brainer, since the moment I stepped out of my cute house, I'm in downtown Issaquah right where the Salmon days celebrations are going on.
The story of Salmon's is fascinating as I learnt today!
Salmon's are in fresh water and then migrate to the Ocean for a period of 4-5 years where they mature and then return home (homecoming!) travelling miles and miles of Oceans,seas and lakes, typically to the streams where they were spawned to reproduce. This is the last stage of their life and after laying the eggs they soon die. It's fascinating that they travel all that distance to be back they were born.
Even more intriguing is the way they get there. There is apparently no conlusive answer, but I was told today the friendly and knowledge docent at the hatchery that it is strongly believed that while in the Ocean Salmon's navigate through the earth's magnetic field. Once they reach the freshwaters they use their highly (and the way he described highly was that if you put a drop of ink in an olympic size swimming pool the salmon's can sense the difference in the water through the smell!) developed sense of smell to get back to where they were born.
Before the knew the story watching them climb up the ladders and return home was something fun to watch. After I knew the story it was touching in a profound way :)
If you do get a chance, watch the salmon coming home! It'll be worth your time.
The story of Salmon's is fascinating as I learnt today!
Salmon's are in fresh water and then migrate to the Ocean for a period of 4-5 years where they mature and then return home (homecoming!) travelling miles and miles of Oceans,seas and lakes, typically to the streams where they were spawned to reproduce. This is the last stage of their life and after laying the eggs they soon die. It's fascinating that they travel all that distance to be back they were born.
Even more intriguing is the way they get there. There is apparently no conlusive answer, but I was told today the friendly and knowledge docent at the hatchery that it is strongly believed that while in the Ocean Salmon's navigate through the earth's magnetic field. Once they reach the freshwaters they use their highly (and the way he described highly was that if you put a drop of ink in an olympic size swimming pool the salmon's can sense the difference in the water through the smell!) developed sense of smell to get back to where they were born.
Before the knew the story watching them climb up the ladders and return home was something fun to watch. After I knew the story it was touching in a profound way :)
If you do get a chance, watch the salmon coming home! It'll be worth your time.
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