Imagine running a marathon while the air around you is filled with smoke. You’d get tired quicker, have uncontrollable coughing, and eventually, give up entirely. You may not think oxygen is as important to fish as it is to humans, but this analogy is perfect for our salmon and coldwater fish populations. Fish actually breathe the air (oxygen) inside the water. Remember, water is H2O– and that O means something! It is the key to determining if a migrating salmon is a champion
Touching a stream in mid-autumn, letting the cold water numb your skin, has a special way of connecting you to a moment, a place, a feeling. When you add the presence of Chinook salmon, some almost 2 feet in length, swimming so close as to brush against the insulated fabric of your boot, that feels even more memorable. Some of my fellow staff and I at Jackson Soil & Water Conservation District had the privilege of visiting Spencer Creek, a tributary to the now undammed sectio
