NATURE AND LIFE
How Salmon Navigate Back Home
A wonder of nature
Although I’ve been to Ballard Locks so many times, I have never seen as many large King Salmon swimming through the fish ladder as this summer!
Whenever we have guests from out of state, we take them to Ballard Locks. Why? There are a couple of reasons. First, it’s only about a mile from our house. We don’t have to worry much about the notorious Seattle traffic. Second, it’s visually entertaining. Many boats move up and down while being locked in the canal, after they sail in and before they sail out, between the seawater in Puget Sound and the fresh water in Lake Union.
My husband, being an engineer, is eager to show the guests how the locks work to accommodate the different water levels between the seaside and the freshwater side. The greatness of civil engineering; the ingenuity of human beings, is the highlight in his views.
What awes me more, however, is salmon, this natural creature!
They were born in the hatchery upstream, miles away from here. When they were tiny smolts, they swam from the lake, through this fish ladder, which was built alongside the locks, to Puget Sound, and to the vast ocean.
After living in the vast ocean, now with such a large body, they make a long journey back to where they were born. They trace back to the same route that they took when young, with no GPS or map. Once they reach their birthplace, the females lay eggs, the males fertilize them, and they all die shortly after that.
Salmon have been doing this for many millennia. A century ago humans altered the journey routes with this concrete ladder. A century from now, who knows if human beings will be still maintaining this “engineering wonder.” But I’m sure that salmon will be continuing this journey. The route might be altered again, but they will somehow figure out the way.
It’s kind of an irony, but in this man-made window, I see the majestic power of nature. Go salmon!
Many thanks to Sahil Patel for his encouragement to write about nature.
Sanghita Pal shows us the wonder of evergreen leaves. Thank you, Sanghita!
Originally published at https://akemisagawa.com on August 29, 2023.
