The fish ladder

In Seattle there are two major bodies of water. The Puget Sound and Lake Union. If my memory serves me correctly, there is a 17' difference in sea level between the two. But, the Army Corps of Engineers devised a way for the two to be connected. It's called the locks. Sail boats and other smaller vessels can go to the locks, where they get locked in, then the water level changes to move the boats up and down depending on where they are headed.

Well, the salmon wanted in on this connection too. So, they built a fish ladder. The fish ladder allows the salmon to run upstream from the Puget Sound to Lake Union. There is a viewing area below for visitors to watch the salmon run up the locks. These salmon are probably 6' long. They were in a holding pattern when I took this photo. But, eventually when they are ready they leap up the ladder to the next area where they hold again. I actually caught a photo, while above the surface, of a salmon jumping out of the water. It took some patience.

I had never seen a salmon upclose. They are not the prettiest of fish. The look much better seared over a bed rice!