Yumi and I volunteer with the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers, and at this time of year our main activitiy is counting and processing returning chum and coho salmon that return to the creek, spawn and die. We measure them, cut them open to confirm sex and spawning activity, and then cut them in half so we don't double count, and return them to the stream to provide nutrients for the cycle of life.
While we try to walk the creek nearly every day, our "official" spawner counting day is every Wednesday.
Area covered: Byrne Bridge to halfway between Tags 516 & 517 (slide area)
We didn't have time to cover the full ravine today.
Time: 3:00 - 4:15 p.m. Sunny and clear.
There were 3 chum spawning about 7-8m downstream of Meadow Bridge, and more gravel had been cleared just below the d/s side of the bridge.
Nothing in the spawning channel and no signs of gravel/cobble disturbance.
Saw a total of 14 live chum in the sediment pond, and 2 dead (Tag 514).
Saw 2 live chum spawning in the lower end of the culvert running under Southridge Dr.
So a total of 19 live chum, 2 dead, to bring the running total by my count to 26 chum spotted, 7 processed so far this year.
Details on morts:
1 chum male, E-T 58cm, N-F 73cm. All fins. Likely spawned but plenty of milt still left.
1 chum male, E-T 57cm, N-F 69cm. All fins. Likely spawned but plenty of milt still left.
After processing them, we took both carcasses and planted them in the stream just below the slide area in the ravine, about halfway between Tags 516 and 517. We do this to encourage newly arriving fish to try to move higher up the creek, and to provide nutrients in the ravine area.
CSI Yumi held her breath for about 7 minutes, and reconstructed the badly chewed up/eaten female chum we found dragged up onto the bank beneath some blackberry bushes at Tag 515 at the top end of the culvert yesterday. Estimated E-T 60cm, estimated N-F 74cm. Yumi then returned her to the creek.
Posted by Paul at October 27, 2004 07:43 PM