Chinook Spawning Begins at Tumwater Falls

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Lee Pilon of WDFW collecting Male Chinook milt.

On Monday September 21, WDFW staff with some help from Squaxin NR staff began spawning approximatly 100 female and 100 male Chinook at the Tumwater Falls Hatchery.

Will Henderson sorting male and female chinook for spawning

Will Henderson sorting male and female chinook for spawning

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Joe Peters sorting male and female chinook

Joe Peters sorting male and female chinook

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An estimated 500,000 eggs were taken and milt from 100 males to Minter Creek Hatchery for fertilization.   Eventually these fertilized eggs will return to Tumwater Falls Hatchery as Fry.

All spawned fish and surplus fish went to a food bank.

If you have time go check out the spawning of the Chinook Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays  around 8 am to 11 am at the Tumwater Falls Hatchery for the next couple of weeks.

Joe Peters and Will Henderson taking a break from sorting fish

Joe Peters and Will Henderson taking a break from sorting fish

Rare catch in Squaxin coho fishery

molamola

Ocean sunfish or Mola mola are a rare find in the Puget Sound. These fish are  generally found worldwide in temperate and tropical seas. They feed primarily on jellyfishes.  Although the photo above is a small Ocean sunfish, they can get up to 2 meters in length and  are known as the heaviest bony fish reaching over 2 tons.

For more information on Ocean sunfish (Mola mola):

Fish Base: Mola mola

Ocean sunfish photos

Starfish: sunfish

UW/ichthyology/Fishkey

Phil Anderson Chosen As Leader of WDFW

From Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission Website:

Anderson Good Choice to lead WDFW

The treaty tribes of western Washington look forward to continuing to work with Phil Anderson as director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

Anderson was named the department’s permanent director Saturday by the nine-member commission….(read more at NWIFC website).