A Real Fishy Story

I went to look at my sister-in-laws blog tonight and accidentally clicked on mine. Interesting how things happen like that. I have wanted to get back into blogging for awhile but every time I thought to do it something would happen and I just didn't get to it. I read through my few entries from last year and it is interesting that not many things have changed. The boys have gotten a year older and are forever fun and full of energy. I am getting ready to get back into the swing of volleyball and have done a little canning but am waiting for peaches to come on.

I did do something very different this summer. I worked at Marion Forks Fish Hatchery as a summer laborer. I had SOOOOOOOO much fun. I am most at peace in the out of doors. I have always felt like I would love to live in a cabin in a remote area of Alaska for a time. Not forever, but just to be out there roughin it for a bit. I read a book about a guy that built his own cabin in the Alaskan wilderness all from handmade tools but that is an entirely different story. So obviously not ready for that adventure in my life, I decided to work in the outdoors at the hatchery. I started by clipping the adipose fin off of fingerling Spring Chinook Salmon. These are hatchery raised fish that need to be identified in this way so when they are caught fisherman will know they are a legal catch and not wild salmon. I worked in a large trailer with some really great people clipping and tagging fish. I also drove between eight and twelve high schoolers up to clip as well. I will say it is always an adventure working with kids. Put them in a trailer with a bunch of fish and it can get really interesting. lol.

After a few weeks of clipping I became a regular hatchery worker. I did some really cool stuff and some really manual labor type stuff that seemed to help me shed a few pounds. My two very favorite job adventures were stocking high land lakes with rainbow, brook and cutthroat trout. We packed the fish to the lake and then acclimated them for release. I enjoy hiking and finding new places so this was definitely a highlight and the scenery of course was beautiful, so peaceful. My second favorite was working with the adult salmon and steelhead. I administered immune booster type shots to the adults at the trap to help them make it through the summer until the hatchery can harvest the eggs from the females. It was amazing getting my hands on these big creatures. Really slimy but amazing. They are so strong and put up such a fight when out of the water.

I mentioned manual labor. There are so many technical things that go on at a hatchery. I used to think "how neat, all these typically tan fellows walking around in their brown suits feeding fish, looks like great fun". What I had never really thought about was how do they keep the place looking so neat and clean and keep those little fish alive. Thus the manual labor. Circular pond and raceway cleaning are not for the flimsy armed. Lets just say a really long handled broom and a lot of sweat give you the end result of a clean living environment for the fish. I actually carried deodorant with me to work every day and used it a couple of times every day. Another thing I realized is feeding the fish, though it may look easy and fun, can actually be eight miles of walking daily with a heavy bucket. Some days the fish just decide they don't want to eat on your schedule so you do a lot more walking to try and persuade them to eat. Despite the hard work I will have to say working at the hatchery was a blast.

I have shared a little about my hatchery duties but the best part of the job was the crew. I got to know some really great fellows that are tan and wear brown hatchery clothes. They are dedicated to their work, fun, fun, fun to be around, great teachers, patient and answered all of my questions.

I could go on for days about my summer experience but am still catching up on some much needed sleep (I forgot to mention I got up at four and started work at six) so you may hear various stories from the hatchery in my upcoming blogs. I am hoping to stay consistent in my posts. I really do enjoy writing and reading other posts, it is just spending time on the computer that I struggle with the most. So my summer resolution is to blog, blog, blog (well maybe a fall resolution after the summer fun).

Hope you have enjoyed my fish stories and hope to hear about some of your summer adventures too.