Credit River Salmon Run

My 5th fall season in Toronto, Canada and the first look at the salmon run on the nearby Credit River, close to where I live. I think it is remarkable that with all the built up areas of Toronto, the ongoing quality problems of the water in the rivers and Great Lakes, and still the salmon continue to gather every fall in some rivers to nest, lay their eggs and die. This is not without some help from local conservation authorities as some species have been restocked and are managed carefully, Chinook and Coho salmon having been introduced from the west coast. The eggs will hatch in spring and the offspring will swim down river to Lake Ontario returning up to 4 years later as adults to their natal sites. In amidst the predominant chinook and coho salmon are Atlantic salmon. In the mid 1800's there are reports of streams overflowing with Atlantic salmon to the point where you could cross the stream walking on the backs of the fish. The dead adults also provide a bounty of nutrients for other river life, and the local gulls were standing motionless having consumed as much as possible.

Fall - A great time of the year in Canada !