Jumping Salmon!

We had a very fun day on Wednesday! Travis had the day off, so he got to come with us on a field trip. This time of year the salmon are swimming up the stream and returning home to spawn at the Issaquah hatchery. They have a bridge built over the stream right before they get to the "gates" at the hatchery. By nature, they want to continue swimming up, so there is a kind of homemade waterfall that I've never seen a single fish jump over. Their only choice is to eventually swim to the side where a gate is. Then they jump the ladder and into the tanks where they are seperated and into tanks and then their eggs can be harvested. It is fun and amazing to watch. I have some video that Travis took of them trying to jump the waterfall. We were hoping to get them jumping the ladder, but the ladder was closed at the time we were there. I do have a picture below from last year of the ladder. It pretty much looks the same. (o:

The boys had a lot of fun. They thought the salmon were silly to continually try to jump up. All I know is they are very large fish and I wish I had a couple on my dinner table. (o: Right now it is the Chinook's season, so that is what you are looking at. I've also included some still photos of them jumping and the boys looking at the fry pool.

(this is the ladder)