Sunday, September 30, 2018

The Salmon Run

In Owen Sound yesterday, we stood on the bridge in Harrison Park and watched the salmon fight their way upstream to spawn.  The Sydeham River is about 50 feet wide and a foot deep here, running over a bed of gravel and boulders.

Looking downstream from the bridge you can see at least 5 salmon struggling against the current here.

We weren't the only ones there to watch!

There's a big sports fishery associated with the migrating salmon, but that takes place out in Georgian Bay, not upstream as the salmon search for a place to spawn.

The history of salmon in the Great Lakes is probably a lot more complex than you'd realize.  Today's fish population is totally artificial, with Pacific Salmon, an introduced species feeding primarily on Alewives, an invasive species.  By the mid-1930's the original fisheries in the Great Lakes had collapsed.  Lake Trout, the most valuable, were extinct in some lakes.  Whitefish had declined dramatically.  Then came the Sea Lamprey and the Alewives, migrating through the Welland Canal.  By the 1950's the Great Lakes were in bad shape!

By the late 1950's fisheries experts were searching for something dramatic to change the situation.  Howard Tanner, head of fisheries for the State of Michigan, decided to try introducing salmon.  It was an overnight success.  Salmon fed widely on the Alewives, growing fast, and creating some sort of artificial balance in the system.  Today the sports fishery is far more valuable than the commercial fishery, though some old tugs still go out after Whitefish.  The salmon are still widely dependent on stocking, but natural spawning is also part of the picture.

Here in Owen Sound you can go and see the salmon in action very easily.


19 comments:

  1. Glad that someone actually took action against the destructive species and introduced one that would help feed the Masses.
    Great Pictures as always Stew.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  2. They have such beautiful colours, and crystal clear water. Lovely photos, so good you can get out again.

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  3. So are you still making the photos with your phone are back to the heavier camera. Which ever it is, it is still giving you good results.

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  4. Always fascinating to watch salmon fight upstream.

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  5. Thanks for that close-up of Salmon finding their place to spawn.
    Joy

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  6. What a pretty spot! they look like good sizes too.

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  7. I'd love to visit Owen Sound again! Great shots!!!!

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  8. That is a wonderful sight to see , I remember watching them back in the 70's so many salmon you could almost walk on them across the river.

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  9. I can honestly say that is something I've never witnessed. I always hear about it but never see it. Thank you for sharing the pictures and the history with us.

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  10. Hello, the water looks clean and beautiful. Cool views of the Salmon, great photos. Happy Monday, enjoy your day and new week!

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  11. Wonderful to see. They spawn here too. Saw them a couple of weeks ago. Ours are kokanee and are orange.

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  12. great article. We love our Pacific Salmon out here---Protect them and when the season is open----mighty tasty
    MB

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  13. That took a lot of patience to get to work.

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  14. There's quite a sport fishery for Pacific salmon in Lake Erie and its tributaries in New York and Pennsylvania as well as yours in Lake Huron.

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  15. A friend of mine is an artist. Your third picture reminds me of one she did of several salmon side-by-side going upstream. The colours are almost exactly the same. - Margy

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  16. Clean clear water. Yummy looking salmon too!

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  17. I sure remember that lamprey eel problem a bunch of years ago. It was all over the local news for awhile.

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  18. Lovely photographs you've shared, thank you.

    All the best Jan

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  19. Wow neat seeing the salmon. Great shots.
    Nice to see you wheeling around too. : )

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