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Salmon are back in the pool at the Issaquah hatchery and even at the Fish Barrier camera you might see an occasional river otter or common merganser looking for a stray fish or just moving upstream.
As
the focus of restoration and protection of salmon has
increased throughout the Pacific Northwest, the WildWatchCam
project and its partners have looked for ways to provide
the public with exciting underwater views of several salmon
species that use the freshwater and marine environments
of Washington.
We have placed a series web-enabled cams
in a variety of settings to record different aspects of
activities related to the life cycle of the salmon. The
cameras are located at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery near
Seattle operated by the Washington Department of Fish
And Wildlife (WDFW) and the Friends
of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (FISH). Two different
views are featured: Cam1 shows a broad view of the fish
barrier and Cam2 views adult salmon in a holding pool.
Additional links and photos have been provided to assist
you in your "learning journey " as you begin
to link the life cycle of the salmon to that of the eagle,
heron, bear and your own.
SalmonCam1 is focused on a fish barrier where salmon can be observed
attempting to leap the barrier and swim upstream. After repeated
jumps salmon try the alternative underwater flow which leads
into the holding ponds where they are held to collect their
eggs and sperm which are carefully mixed and future salmon
are reared at the hatchery for later release.
SalmonCam2 has been installed in a large holding pool containing several
hundred adult salmon. The salmon will be held in the pool
until adequate numbers are present and than salmon eggs and
milt will be collected to produce new salmon for Washington's
streams, rivers, estuaries and lakes. The abundant algae growth
limits fish viewing on overcast days unless the fish is within
18 inches of the camera. For more information, about salmon
management and production, check out the related links and
information.
Photographic
Series: Take a look at 'Spawning
and Fertilizing' for
new photos that explain more about how
salmon are reared at hatcheries.
Remember,
what you see may depend on the time of day, week or month.
Weather related activities may affect water clarity, velocity
and other factors that salmon deal with as a part of their
life cycle. Each "WildWatchCam" is an experiment
to capture images of native Washington fish and wildlife and
contribute to their conservation while providing quality wildlife
viewing to the public. Camera equipment and installations
are contributed by Timothy K. Brown with system designs and
technical assistance by B.E. Meyers Co. Inc. Special SalmonCam
partners include Trout Unlimited and the Salmon In the Classroom
program.
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