There are some people who get the unique opportunity to watch salmon spawn in the wild. But even those of us that have a chance to see it as part of our job rarely get the view from underwater. This video provides a rare and fascinating glimpse into that world. (note: the hatchery fish in the video were filmed spawning in the South Fork Clearwater River drainage last week)
Spring Chinook salmon spawn in streams throughout central Idaho during late August and September. The female digs a redd (nest) with her tail. She lays her eggs in the redd, the male(s) fertilizes them, and she covers them with a layer of rocks. The spaces between the rocks allow cool, oxygenated water to flow over the eggs and once spawning is complete, the adult salmon carcass provides nutrients for the next generation to start.
Idaho Fish and Game crews survey 600-700 miles of stream by foot, aircraft, drone, and raft to monitor spring Chinook spawning across Idaho each fall. IDFG’s Chinook spawning dataset goes back to the 1950’s. The annual Chinook spawning ground walks and long-term dataset are extremely important to helping resource managers understand the current status of our Chinook populations in Idaho.
For more interesting information on IDFG's work with wild salmon and steelhead click here.