Salmon Cascades
by Heidi Smith
Title
Salmon Cascades
Artist
Heidi Smith
Medium
Photograph
Description
This area of the Sol Duc River is know as Salmon Cascades. I watched numerous salmon attempt to jump up the cascades, but they mananged to elude my camera.
The extraordinary migrations of the coho proceed in a variety of streams and rivers running through Olympic National Park. Of the five species of Pacific salmon, coho have particularly inclusive spawning localities, ranging from small creeks to the main river channels. Thus, they are found nearly all over the peninsula.
Coho are sometimes differentiated into the summer-run and fall-run stocks. Throughout summer, but primarily in late September and early October, these coho from the Pacific enter the Sol Duc River by means of the Quillayute River and leap, with great determination, over the cascades en route to their spawning grounds. The taxing journey of over 50 miles leaves the salmon scarred and deteriorated. From the time they emerge from the gravel, young coho spend about one year in their natal steams before venturing to sea as a smolt. Generally, they will spend about two years in sea growing to proper size before heading back to the rivers to spawn.
Good viewing locations include the Salmon Cascades in the Sol Duc River in October, and the small tributary of the Hoh River, accessed by the Hoh Visitor Center nature trail in November and December.
Uploaded
September 5th, 2012
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Viewed 264 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 03/25/2024 at 2:28 PM
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