Pink Salmon In The Cascade River

Fall is the time of year that the migration of the pink or humpback salmon occurs along several of the North Shore streams. In the Cascade River, the “humpies” can be seen spawning on the gravel bars below the falls. The water was exceptionally low this year so they could be easily seen in the shallows on days when the sun shone brightly.

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Pink Salmon in the Cascade River 2

Both the male and female can be seen in this photo. A female can lay between 1,500 – 2,000 eggs. After the male fertilizes the eggs, the female covers the eggs with small rocks and both the male and female die. Sometime during early to mid-winter the eggs hatch. The young fry feed on the attached yolk sac. In late winter or spring, the fry swim out of the gravel bars and migrate down stream to Lake Superior.

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