Monitoring Spawning Salmon on Mud Creek by Sophia Schafer

These past few months, I got the opportunity to participate in weekly creek walks to measure numbers of spawning salmon. We identified species and recorded the individuals and their redds from each species in our assigned creek. We also were collecting data on the effect of the tire runoff pollutant 6PPD-quinone on pre-spawn mortality (PSM) in salmon. The excitement of seeing the first salmon of the season was indescribable.

Sophia’s survey partner Rebecca’s reaction to seeing her first salmon

On Mud Creek, we primarily saw kokanee and coho salmon. I highly recommend this program to anyone who has an extra hour or two a week to spare in the fall/winter. This experience taught me the beauty of salmon, there is something special about contributing to the knowledge of spawning salmon in the PNW and knowing that the data collected will be used to restore salmon habitat and populations.

Sophia measuring water temperature on a survey

Overall, we identified over 60 salmon individuals this 2024 spawning season on Mudd Creek alone. Most were kokanee, although some coho were present. It was interesting to see how some fish were physically very impacted by their journey from sea to spawning in the creek. As seen in the third photo, female salmon’s tails may be destroyed after making their redds. For anyone hoping to get some experience collecting data in the field or just want to see some salmon and contribute to their restoration, this program is excellent, and I couldn’t recommend it enough.

A lone Kokanee spotted in Mud Creek

A female kokanee carcass on Mud Creek