Finney Creek Salmon
By Lucy DeGrace

November 17 saw 20 intrepid explorers braving the cold rain for a chance to see spawning Finney Creek chum salmon. The area had received over 5 inches of rain the day before, so unfortunately the creek was raging and steel grey (as opposed to gin clear on a good day). While we weren’t able to see the many chum we saw last year, we were treated to a freshly dead chum that had washed up onto the gravel bar. Our brave group withstood the cold rain to learn about Finney Creek’s salmon and the challenges they face trying to make a living there. This chum carcass, along with hundreds of others, will provide a vital food source for all kinds of plants and animals in the Finney Creek ecosystem.

This outing was a part of our Finney Creek outreach project, which so far has included a watershed tour, two fish tours, and Finney Family Day back in August. Part of the purpose of the November 17 event was to share what SFEG has been working on to restore habitat in Finney Creek. As part of the logjam placement effort, another logjam project will be implemented in summer 2008, placing logjams to improve gravel sorting and pool formation, increase habitat diversity and decrease temperatures. Current temperatures in Finney Creek are, at times, lethal for spawning salmon and their young.

If you’d like to be notified of future outings and opportunities at Finney Creek, contact us at 360-336-0172 or ldegrace@skagitfisheries.org.

A fresh chum salmon carcass helped participants learn about salmon life cycles and distribution in Finney Creek during the November 17 fish tour.