Salmon

Such a wondrous sight-our old friends are back. Welcome home boys and girls, sweet friends is my salutation this afternoon to the arriving salmon as I see them once more  frolicking in the creek. Splashing and swimming like motor boats,  with their bodies half out of the water. Their speed is just amazing as they plough through the water. They are rather large adults- well over 30 inches and at least two years old, most of them.  That is when they start to return home for the first time from the lake. The babies return to the lake after they hatch in the spring, and stay there for the two years. 

Animals need no calendar nor clock nor map to know where to go and what needs to be done. Yes-it is the 3^rd of September and they have come home. -some may call it instinct, I call it a miracle. Our creek in our back garden is the spawning ground for some “Atlantic Salmon”. They have been re-introduced,  by the Ontario government  into this habitat called "The salmon restoration program" about 5 years ago, as  their numbers were dwindling down drastically from over fishing, to almost nothing in Lake Ontario.

Now their numbers are increasing-  they are protected and are  not now allowed to be caught- only one from the lake, not the creek, later in the spring, provided you have a license, otherwise there is a very large fine ; $25,000- however I doubt anyone has ever been fined that- but this is the law. Even  with a license, the salmon have to be a certain length, minimum 24-35 inches, if they fall outside the size, they have to be released back to the water. They are strictly and intensely  monitored, especially the babies. Only one is allowed to be fished with the license with the “sports permit” per year, and non with a “conservation permit”-is strictly catch and release.

This afternoon about a dozen or so have arrived, though the creek is rather shallow at this point, as we have had no rain for some time; however they know where home is. Each one of these salmon will return to their original spawning ground each year-to the exact same spot. The “Atlantic Salmon” live many years- so they are starting to become old friend with me. Some salmon only have a life cycle of one year-not these. This is the second year that we are seeing them-perhaps I will name them this year. Some are parked right at the end of our garden and they stay in the same spot for at least two weeks, they spawn-and then they return to the lake until next September. Imagine- how magnificent creation is, how perfect.