Native Americans, Visitors Celebrate Return of Salmon to US State of Washington
By Mike O'Sullivan Central Washington State 02 October 2007

O'Sullivan report (mp3) - Download 625k
Listen to O'Sullivan report (mp3)

Each year, salmon head upriver to their spawning grounds in the Columbia River basin in the northwestern U.S. state of Washington. Mike O'Sullivan reports, the event has inspired a festival in which Native Americans and wildlife experts help visitors celebrate the salmon.

Icicle Creek

Beginning in March, the fish start the arduous journey 800 kilometers upriver from the Pacific Ocean.

These Spring Chinook salmon are heading for the Wanatchee River and Icicle Creek, in the shadow of the majestic Cascade Mountains.

Salmon once thrived here, but over the years dams, overfishing and habitat destruction have diminished their numbers.

So 60 years ago, the U.S. government established a hatchery to give them some human help. Workers collect more than 1.5 million salmon eggs and raise the fish in tanks for 16 months. The young salmon are then released and head for the ocean. Guided by their sense of smell, they will return in a few years to spawn.

Full Story