Adult Spawner Surveys and Cranberry Creek Trap

It’s that time of year again when Squaxin NR staff puts on the chest wadders and walk  a number of streams in the the South Puget Sound area counting the returning Chum and Coho salmon.    We are  in the streams 3 to 4 days out of the week count chum and hopefully finding some Coho too.

Joe Peters in Campbell Creek doing an adult spawner survey.

Joe Peters in Campbell Creek doing an adult spawner survey.

We are monitoring about 15 streams.  The data collected is used to formulate the overall escapement for chum and coho in each surveyed region.

Fish Ladder from Lake Limmerick feeds into Cranberry Creek

Fish Ladder from Lake Limmerick feeds into Cranberry Creek

Also 2009 marks the 10th year of installing a trap on Cranberry Creek.  This trap is located above a fish ladder at Lake Limmerick.  The target species in this trap is Coho, where we see up to 30 coho a year.  A number of Chum also are encountered.

Fish Tech Bear Lewis scooping chum salmon out of a fish trap in Cranberry Creek

Fish Tech Bear Lewis scooping chum salmon out of a fish trap in Cranberry Creek

View Spawning Chum Salmon at Kennedy Creek and McLane Nature Trails

November is an excellent time to view adult chum salmon making their journey to spawn up South Puget Sound streams.  Two locations for prime view are at the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail and the McLane Nature Trail.

Kennedy Creek Trail is open to the public from 10 am to 4 pm on the following days in November:

Weekends (11/01/08 – 11/30/08)

Day after Thanksgiving (11/28/08)

Veteran’s Day (11/11/08)

Directions to Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail

McLane Nature Trail is open to the public daily during day light hours.  The gate to the park closes a dusk.

Directions to McLane Nature Trail