Alaska Salmon's Date with Destiny

paparosspapaross Registered Users Posts: 131 Major grins
edited September 2, 2010 in Landscapes
While on the Alaska Muench Workshop, http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=142541,
we spent a few hours at the Medvejie Hatchery, the largest salmon fish hatchery in Alaska.

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Salmon (who were born at the hatchery) return fully mature to lay or fertilize the eggs, through Bear Cove that
connects to the Pacific. It is amazing that these fish that were born and released here can return years later.
This is, I think, is the "dorm" for the workers, as the hatchery is at the end of the earth.
(Forgive the slant of the buildings. (I was going through a learning curve with the Canon 24 tilt shift).

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From Bear Cove, the salmon enter into the large tank in the background. The screen gate captures a
"load" of salmon from the tank and moves forward, making a smaller tank, where they are lifted and
placed into the tank in the foreground. This tank has a "dazing agent" in the water.

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Splash!

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Waiting fore their destiny!

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Each salmon is pulled out by hand individually and given a pat on the head.

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Meet the team!

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Of course, I had try it also.

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Wham!:clap

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The salmon are then separated by male or female.

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Slit with the little green knife, and out comes the eggs that flow into
the plastic bag. In the same bag, he slits a male and out comes the sperm.
(sorry, no pictures)

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He then takes the bag, shakes it up, and presto, immediately fertilized eggs.

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She takes the bag and washes it of any impurities.

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The Dr. (I promise, the Dr.) exams each salmon, takes a sample and sends it to a lab for any potential impurities.
I do mean a examining lab, not the lab in the picture.:D

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Remember the entrance from the Bay to the tank? Well, there is a small stream beside the tank. It
seems a lot of salmon miss the natural homing signal and go up the stream instead of the tank.

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So many in the stream, that Dan Evans, http://www.alaskadanevans.com/dev/, our local guide and now friend, got in with the salmon.


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Just in case, you want to read more about it.

Comments

  • AndyAndy Registered Users Posts: 50,016 Major grins
    edited September 2, 2010
    papaross wrote: »
    In the same bag, he slits a male and out comes the sperm.
    (sorry, no pictures)

    Here's one

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  • AndyAndy Registered Users Posts: 50,016 Major grins
    edited September 2, 2010
    Excellent work, Ross! And you're pretty good with that fish club, too.
  • Marc MuenchMarc Muench Registered Users Posts: 1,420 Major grins
    edited September 2, 2010
    Ross you have been hiding your journalistic talents from us.

    This was a treat to visit and you now know that there is always something more important than F-stops....... This is what photography is all about, seeing something moving and informative, and through the camera motivated by an insatiable appetite for sharing, become a part of what you are photographing. Great Great and Great!

    We still need to work on your "tilts" thougheek7.gif
  • dadwtwinsdadwtwins Registered Users Posts: 804 Major grins
    edited September 2, 2010
    Great series Ross.....I had no idea until this trip how violent you could be......

    Everyone.....Be afraid.....Be very afraidlol3.gif
    My Homepage :thumb-->http://dthorp.smugmug.com
    My Photo Blog -->http://dthorpphoto.blogspot.com/
  • dlsdls Registered Users Posts: 385 Major grins
    edited September 2, 2010
    great series and very informative. love the splash shot. and that is one helluva way to have babies. ouch.
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