Tehama - The Magazine - Red Bluff Daily News
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/88895
Tour of Salmon Life Cycle By Chip Thompson Chinook Salmon and Steelhead Trout are kings of the North State and there's no better way to get up close and personal with them than a visit to the Coleman National Fish Hatchery on Battle Creek in Anderson. Established in 1942 to mitigate for the loss of natural spawning grounds due to construction of the Shasta and Keswick dams, the hatchery is both a working laboratory and public classroom. A walk around the grounds gives visitors a chance to spot returning salmon migrating upstream and into the hatchery, where they enter holding ponds. Eggs are removed from the females and milt from the males in the spawning building, with as many as 5,000 eggs harvested from each female. In the egg and sac-fry nursery, eggs are hatched and incubated until the young parr and smolts are ready to move to raceways that provide a constant flow of clean water and a steady, nutritious diet. Each fall, some 15 million Chinook and 1 million Steelhead eggs are taken from as many as 10,000. Eggs hatch in a little less than two months and raised in race- ways until they are 3-5 inches in length before being released in April to make the 300-mile journey to the Pacific Ocean. Thanks to the controlled spawning, fish can be fitted with coded wire tags through a computerized system that can mark as many as 60,000 smolts in a day. The markings allow hatchery biolo- gists to conduct research and track the migration patterns and return rate of Chinook and Steelhead. A state-of-the-art ozone water purifi- cation plant on site at the hatchery pro- vides pure water for the growing fry and protects against disease. Fish are tested regularly at the California-Nevada Fish Health Center on the grounds of the hatchery. The center also conducts research and observation of wild fish populations in the North State. Unlike salmon, Steelhead don't die after spawning and return to the ocean before returning multiple times to spawn. spawning beds in which their lives began. Most enter the hatchery, but a few clear are able to clear the obstacle. The hatchery features a two-mile nature trail through riparian forest and native plants identified by interpretive plaques. The grounds include restrooms and picnic areas, so the hatchery can make a memorable day trip from Tehama County. Nearly all facets of operation at Coleman are open for public viewing and tours are offered regularly to area students. A self-guided tour takes visitors to the hatchery building, rearing ponds, spawning and visitor viewing area, holding pond, fish ladder, Battle Creek and the water treatment plant, with information about each. Uniformed employees are on duty to answer visitor questions. During October, Battle Creek offers ample opportunities for photography, as the creek boils with mature salmon leaping cascading falls, attempting to continue upstream to the The hatchery is about 20 miles northeast of Red Bluff. A scenic drive, take the Jellys Ferry Exit from Interstate 5 a few miles north of Red Bluff and turn right. Take Jellys Ferry Road for about 14 miles, continue on to Gover Road for a half-mile and make a sharp right onto Coleman Fish Hatchery Road. When to go Plan your visit Directions The hatchery is open year-round, but the most activity can be observed in October, with late fall Chinook activity following in subsequent months. Summer months are the least active, with juvenile salmon being housed in the raceways. School groups tour the facility Tuesdays and Thursdays during the fall. 28 Tehama - the Magazine, October, 2012