The Salmon have Returned! | |
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Salmon season is upon us! These determined fish have already begun returning to local waterways after years spent in the ocean. Depending on the species, Pacific salmon spend between 2 to 7 years in the ocean, fattening up on abundant food resources in preparation for their return trip to their stream or river of birth.
The Salmon Coalition often receives questions from community members asking where they can view spawning salmon in Jefferson and Clallam Counties. Click on the links below for information on where to go to view spawning salmon in your neck of the woods. Keep in mind that salmon only get one opportunity to produce offspring, so it’s important for us humans to be as courteous as possible during their upstream journey.
Here are some tips to ensure that you are being salmon smart.
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Stay out of rivers or streams where salmon are spawning. Salmon create redds, or nests, where they deposit their eggs. They cover their eggs with a thin layer of gravel, making redds difficult to spot. Stepping on a redd can easily kill developing embryos within the eggs, and microbes from dead eggs can infect other eggs, leading to the death of all eggs within the redd.
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Keep dogs on a leash, or better yet, leave them at home. Dogs love to chase, and salmon splashing their way upstream can be an irresistible target for them. Eating salmon carcasses can make dogs very sick.
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Move slowly and speak quietly. Sudden movements can startle salmon, causing them undue stress.
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Be respectful of private property. There are plenty of great salmon viewing locations on public land here in Jefferson and Clallam Counties, so there’s no need for trespassing.
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Top right: pink salmon by John Gussman. Bottom left: spawning chum by Charles Espey. Bottom right: spawning coho salmon by John Gussman. | |
Round-Up Fundraiser at Finnriver Cidery | |
Raise a glass of cider for Salmon in the Schools!
For the whole month of September, Finnriver Farm & Cidery will be hosting a RoundUp fundraiser to support NOSC's elementary education program. Every purchase in the cider garden will be given the option to round up their purchase to benefit Salmon in the Schools.
Salmon in the Schools is a hands-on, exploratory learning program where students learn about the life cycle of salmon, stewardship, and healthy ecosystems by raising coho salmon from eggs in their classroom. NOSC delivers in-class lessons and hosts a learning-packed field trip where students release the young salmon fry in a local stream. For the 3-4 months that the students care for the salmon, these fish spark learning opportunities throughout all parts of the classroom - art, math, reading, writing, and science.
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Students eagerly await the opportunity to release the salmon that they raised in their classroom into their local creek. Photo by Mae Wolfe. | |
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Finnriver Farm & Cidery
124 Center Road, Chimacum, WA 98325
Open: Wednesdays - Sundays 12-8pm
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Back-to-School Celebration at Finnriver
Join us from 1-3pm on September 2nd in the Finnriver field and find out what’s inside Fin the giant salmon! We will be available to answer questions regarding the Salmon in the Schools program and will even open up the giant coho for kids to explore and play inside.
Find out more at Finnriver Farm & Cidery: Finnriver Farm Events
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Fin at Finnriver. Courtesy of Finnriver. | |
Notes from the Field: Fish Relocation | |
Over the last two months, the North Olympic Salmon Coalition captured and relocated juvenile fish in Snow Creek to prepare for in-stream restoration work. Habitat restoration projects often require working in the stream channel. Relocating fish prior to the project ensures there are no fish in the stream during the restoration work. | |
NOSC volunteers Linda Lenz and her daughter locate fish traps in Snow Creek. Image: NOSC Staff | |
Above: NOSC volunteer Dave Winters emptying and resetting a fish trap at Snow Creek. Below: A juvenile cutthroat trout. Images: NOSC Staff. | |
Emma Weaver (left) leads a volunteer crew to capture and relocate fish out of an upcoming project area. Photo by NOSC Staff. | Reflections on a Summer with NOSC... |
by Emma Weaver, Salmon Restoration Technician - Summer 2023
After my eight weeks working for NOSC, I’m excited to share some of the interesting things I learned during my time here. The main thing I learned was how to identify juvenile coho salmon, steelhead trout, cutthroat trout, brook lamprey, and sculpin. I only found one cutthroat trout in the entire time we were trapping fish at Snow Creek, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the signature red slash marks on its throat were easy to spot. I also learned that puppy chow works wonderfully as bait, which was not something I had expected. We experimented with several different kinds of bait for the minnow traps we were using to trap the juvenile salmonids, starting with plain bagel and bread, then upgrading to bagel and power bait, then just power bait, and eventually puppy chow. The day after we tried puppy chow for the first time, we saw record numbers of fish in the traps, and saw similar numbers for the rest of the trapping!
I haven’t had a lot of hands-on experience with fish, so I was excited to learn everything I could about them with this internship. Having grown up on a farm, I’ve had a LOT of practice trying to convince animals to go places they stubbornly refuse to go, so it was funny to me how similar the behavior of the fish was to the animals I’m used to. I caught several juvenile coho just by setting my net at the bottom of the stream and letting the fish’s curiosity get the better of them, which is a great trick I’ve also used on the farm. The best way to catch the fish with nets was to corral them with the help of a team with nets, which was a fun way to work together with volunteers.
One of my favorite parts of the job was getting to connect with the volunteers and hear about their experiences in conservation. As someone who is still trying to figure out what they want to do in life, I appreciated hearing the diverse life experiences of each of the volunteers and their advice for someone my age. Overall, it was a wonderful experience and I look forward to applying the skills I gained this summer when I get back to college in the fall.
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Jefferson County MRC Seeks Members | |
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Our partners over at the Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee (MRC) are seeking new members.
The Jefferson MRC is one of seven MRCs that are part of the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative, through which it receives support for projects that reflect local priorities. The MRC is a project-based, volunteer advisory group appointed by the Jefferson Board of County Commissioners and is administered through the WSU Jefferson County Extension department. MRC members represent the diverse interests of the broader East Jefferson County community, including the three Commissioner Districts, Tribal and local government, as well as environmental, marine science, commercial, and recreational interests. Their work is focused on protecting and restoring the marine and nearshore environments of East Jefferson County, spanning from Gardiner to Triton Cove. They work on addressing issues related to marine life, habitats, and water quality by advising the Board of County Commissioners and through science-based actions, stewardship projects and public outreach.
Applications are due September 8th. Find out more at 2023-mrc-vacancy-announc.pdf (jeffersonmrc.org)
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NOSC Trivia Night and Other Upcoming Events | |
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TRIVIA NIGHT - Thursday 9/7
Back by popular demand, it’s Trivia Night with North Olympic Salmon Coalition!
Come test your nature knowledge (plus a question or three about salmon)! So, bring your best all-ages nature trivia team for two hours of fun and wacky trivia questions about the natural world.
Sneak Preview: On average, how many feet of rain does Forks receive annually?
Donate on a sliding scale of $5-$25 to enter a team. All proceeds benefit North Olympic Salmon Coalition. Best scoring teams win great prizes!
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Thursday, September 7th
6-8pm
at Finnriver Farm & Cidery
124 Center Road, Chimacum, WA 98325
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Come see us at the Market!
September 2nd - Port Angeles Farmers Market
September 9th - Fall Market Peninsula College
September 23rd - Sequim Farmers Market
Come see Fin the Giant Migrating Salmon at:
September 4th
September 16th
September 22nd
October 14th
We have NOSC gear for sale, information about how to get involved, where to see spawning salmon, and about local restoration projects!
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Interested in volunteering at our booths or with Fin? Please email Education & Outreach Coordinator, Lindsay McCord, at lmccord@nosc.org for more information or to sign up. | | |
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Save the Date! 2023 Annual Meeting
We will be hosting our Annual Meeting this fall on October 16th at 4:30pm at the Dungeness Nature Center in Sequim.
RSVP and event schedule will be sent out soon!
We are excited to share and celebrate a year's worth of accomplishments with you. We hope to see you there!
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Header photo: John Gussman | |
Base funding for the RFEG program comes from a grant from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, a portion of state commercial and recreational fishing license fees, and excess egg and carcass sales administered by the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. | |
Give Us Your Feedback
Questions or Comments? Let us know what you think!
outreach@nosc.org
360.379.8051
www.nosc.org
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