The Salmon

Hermit Crab in Captivity - Gig Harbor

 CARKEEK Park in Seattle is the site of a record breaking salmon run this year. In the past month, thousands of CHUM salmon have flailed up Piper's Creek to spawn and die.  

We ventured to CARKEEK over T-Day break to witness this incredible event. We saw salmon fighting to hurl their bodies further upstream in the rocky shallows.  We saw hundreds of salmon corpses rotting along the creek beds.  We smelled the putrid stench of death.  

I'm trying to focus on their inspiring life stories, but the trauma of watching the chum struggle to their deaths lingers, haunting my days and nights.  The smell wafts through my nasal cavities as if I never left Piper's Creek.

I wish the chum salmon could have a more peaceful end.  Could more water be added to the creek?  Something to think about for next year, Seattle. At the very least, prompt, respectful removal of chum carcasses should also be considered. 

I didn't get photos of the salmon run because of the trauma I experienced, but I'll never unsee the images from that apocalyptic visit.  Here's  a photo I found online.  Multiply this scene by one trillion and you'll come close to understanding the heroic end of the chum.