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field trip!
by MaryRose Lovgren
(1) Let’s start with the viewing platform on the east side, where you can walk down and look at the river. “Late in the summer,” Ford describes, “the fish in there are so packed in it almost looks like seaweed in the current. Then you can see them trying to jump over the barrier dam. So every so often, you’ll see one come rocketing out there. It’s amazing how high they can get! Some will jump ten or twelve feet clear out of the water. But they can’t jump high enough to clear the barrier. When we open the ladder up” (September 15th this year), “they’ll start coming up the ladder. And all along the ladder (2) you can see them jumping the boards as they keep climbing higher and higher.” Ford points out this cool fact: the ladder is over a half-mile long, which makes it the longest ladder on the West Coast.
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After traveling up the ladder, the salmon will reach the gathering tank (a rectangular tank or trap), and from there they are moved either by hand or mechanically into one of four round holding tanks (3), where they are held until they are ready to spawn.
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growing up chico magazine
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Once a week, fish from the holding tanks are then forced into the building, and anesthetized with carbon dioxide which slows them down enough to be handled (which is important, as the average size of these fish is 30 pounds). Through the great windows (4), you can see the Fish & Game workers sort the salmon that are ready to spawn by gender. Eggs are released from the females and mixed with “milt” from the males (5), and the miracle of fertilization takes place. Salmon that aren’t ready to spawn are shunted back into the holding tanks, where they fully revive. They are held there until the group ripens. The story ends here for the adult salmon, for once they’ve spawned, they die. At the hatchery, this inevitable death is hastened to make handling them easier. If 100% of the salmon came through the hatchery, the carcasses would have to be released back into the river system as part of nature’s recycling process. But since only 30% are artificially spawned here, they can preserve those fish and have them canned. Working through the Community Action Agency, the fish is then given out to those in need. Whole salmon are also provided to the Native American tribes in the area.
Up to 30,000 adult salmon reach the Hatchery, and from these, 12 to 13 million fertilized eggs may be incubated (6), as Brightwell demonstrates. These eggs are placed in row after row of incubator stacks, where fresh, oxygenated Feather River water can flow through them. The eggs “water harden,” becoming plump and firm. “After around 25-30 days,” Brightwell narrates, “they get through that tender stage and they develop into what we refer to as ‘eyed eggs,’” so-named because you can see the fish’s eyes developing inside. The eggs are now tough enough to handle, and to remove dead eggs that may be harboring fungus, water is sprayed into the troughs. Dead eggs turn white due to a rupturing of the membranes inside, and these can be picked out. “We refer to that as ‘addling’ the eggs,” interjects Brightwell with a twinkle, “because we get them all addled up!” For thirty days after that, they live off the yolk of the egg. Called “alevin,” these larval fish, if fertilized outside of the hatchery, would still be in the gravel of the river’s bed.
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Once their yolk sac is gone, the young fish are said to “button up” and are moved from the incubator trays to the concrete raceways at the easternmost side of the facility (6). “In nature,” Brightwell explains, “they’re called ‘swim-ups’ because at that point in their development, they swim up through the cracks in the gravel and start feeding.” Your kids may enjoy this part of the tour the most, as you will be able to interact with the salmon here. Buckets of what look like rabbit food are provided (7), and each sprinkle of fish food is met by a flurry of tiny silver salmon.
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The young salmon are held in these rearing ponds for four to five months, until they are 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. They are then transported in special trucks (8) down to the bay, where they make the transition from freshwater to salt water. These big silver salmon trucks are very special: fitted with diffusing stones, they allow oxygen to enter the water. Fresh-flow aerators then circulate water from the bottom throughout the tank.
Pictures courtesy the Feather River Fish Hatchery.
Getting There From Chico, take HWY 99 East to HWY 149 East. Then, merge into HWY 70 South. Take the Table Mountain Boulevard exit and head to your left. Just before you are ready to cross right over the Feather River, take a sharp left into the Fish Hatchery parking lot. Plan on 45 minutes of travel time. Phone: (530) 538-2222 Address: 5 Table Mountain Boulevard, Oroville Want to schedule a tour? While they’re open year-round, 8 AM to sundown, the best times to view the salmon are in the fall and spring. Call (530) 534-2306 to set up a tour.
John Ford, Anna Kastner, and Steven Brightwell.
Salmon Festival Every fourth Saturday in September, the stretch of the Feather River between Historic Downtown Orovile and the Feather River Fish Hatchery bursts with fish-flavored activities for a day of fun, food, music and information. 10AM-4PM. Call 538-2542 or visit www.lakeoroville.net/salmon_fest.htm.com. Call Anna Kastner for more information at (530) 5382222. Additional Resources www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/fh/feather/feather_index.htm www.dwr.water.ca.gov/LakeOroville The annual Salmon Festival is a great time for all ages.