We have babies!
The first coho fry resulting from
last fall’s spawning were seen swimming free in the creek on February 8.
At least two dozen have been sighted to date. (They are just about an
inch long and very fast, making a precise count impossible.) Their
location in the channel suggests the possibility of more than the one
redd marked last fall. They’ll feed behind logs, under overhanging
grass, and among protruding roots - anywhere that slow water can bring
them food - until they get strong enough to swim in the open channel.
Volunteers will continue to monitor the fry for a few weeks, until they
go into hiding.
Salmon return total: 6
Volunteer watchers documented a return
of six coho during this fall’s spawning period. Although cove monitors
reported schooling near the ferry pier in early October, the large
numbers of fond memory did not materialize. Busy predators left no
carcasses and so we don’t know to what extent the fish actually spawned.
We have one redd that we’ll be watching in February for any fry to
emerge. For the third year, the coho return was sparse throughout the
city. As happens every year, we’ll learn as much as possible from the
experience here and in other urban creeks. Thanks to all the volunteers
- especially the ones who never saw a fish! - and to the many watershed
residents and visitors who expressed interest in the return.
State to test water
In October, the State Department of
Ecology will begin monthly water-quality monitoring of the creek, using a
site near the mouth. Our creek is one of 20 sites selected for Ecology’s
Freshwater Monitoring Unit to sample for one year. A dozen-plus
water-quality indicators will be checked, some measured on the spot and
others done by a lab. A student study of pet waste - thought to be a major
contributor of fecal-coliform bacteria to the creek and cove - got the
ball rolling. Based on results of this research and the community interest
it exemplified, DOE decided to invest in the more-detailed monitoring.
Also, Seattle Public Utilities will soon be sampling macro-invertebrates
in the lower creek and students at Arbor Heights Elementary will do the
same in the upper creek. The varieties and number of stream insects they
find tell us more about habitat chemistry and its ability to support
juvenile salmon.
Check out the logs!
EarthCorps has completed
installation of logs in the creek throughout Fauntleroy Park and
downstream as far as 45th Ave. S.W. Participants in the conservation
training program placed all the logs by hand, using natural techniques to
anchor them in place. As the creek flows over and under this large woody
debris, it will create more pools for juvenile salmon and the
macroinvertebrates that are a major food source. The criss -crossed logs
will also trap silt, allowing less of it to reach spawning habitat in the
lower creek. To appreciate this work, have a look over the street-end
railing, mid-block next to the blue apartment building on the east side of
45th. The project originated with the Fauntleroy Watershed Action Plan and
was directed by Seattle Public Utilities, with funding by utility
ratepayers and NOAA Fisheries.
05/10/2005
A SERVICE OF THE FAUNTLEROY WATERSHED COUNCIL
Artwork Credit:
Here interpreted by
artist Richard Sleight, the "salmon-trout's head" ovoid
captures the central importance of salmonids (both salmon and their
trout cousins) to northern Coast Salish culture. It is often used as the
eye in a complex image, with proportions varying according to space and
the artist's intentions.
about fauntleroy creek
creek facts
fish ladder story
streamside education
activities by theme
activity descriptions
nature walk
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let's explore
salmon release
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water testing
story circle
link by link
stream survey
supporting resources
directions to creek
diagram of lower creek
tips and tricks
rearing salmon
link by link materials
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project ideas
field maps
salmon monitoring
salmon watch report
smolt report
reports and studies
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