American River Wildlife News
Every Wednesday you can watch fish spawn, no joke
Wed 21 Feb 2007 08:27:20 PM PST - Wildlife
The public is invited to watch state Department of Fish and Game technicians artificially spawn steelhead each Wednesday through March from starting at 8 a.m. and going up to noon at the Nimbus Hatchery Visitor Center, 2001 Nimbus Road, in Rancho Cordova, a hatchery spokesman said Wednesday.
Each year workers artificially spawn at least 200 steelhead at the hatchery along the south bank of the American River at Hazel Avenue. That effort yields about a half million eggs, according to Terry West, hatchery manager.
With luck, a like number of juvenile steelhead are eventually raised and released into the river about a year later to start a perilous 125-mile journey to the Pacific Ocean. After about two years in the ocean some of those small steelhead reach seven to 12 pounds and return to the American River to spawn.
More at The Sacramento Bee.