Fish Eggs to Fry: Week 3 Update

Greetings everyone,

The salmon have all hatched at both Bay City and Garibaldi!  Well, almost all.  There is one straggler at Garibaldi.  Can you find the egg in the photo on the far right below?

Tank updates for Bay City (BC) & Garibaldi (G) as of 11/6/24:

Water temperature: BC-52, G-53

Thermal Units (TUs): BC-1,012, G-1,027

Mortalities (Morts): BC-Eggs 0, Fry 0, G-Eggs 1?*, Fry 2?*

*The egg in question appeared to be dying.  It was removed to prevent possible contamination of other eggs.  The fry in question perished mid-hatch – no longer egg, but not yet fry.

Salmon trivia question:

Question: What do salmon eat?

Answer: When salmon are at the alevin stage, like they are now, they only get nutrients from their yolk sacs.  When they become fry and their sacs are depleted, they will need to find food.  Salmon eat insects when they are young and eventually eat other fish when they are older.

Visuals:

Bay City tank photos                                                                     Garibaldi tank photos

Video link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/XwAURLJtXDZkXbtZ8 

You may notice in the photos and the video that the alevins are gathered in small bunches in low spots in the tanks. It is natural for them to do this.  When a female salmon lays her eggs in the wild, she will dig a redd, which is like a gravel nest.  The alevins will stay hidden low in there gravel nests and under cover until they grow enough to move around freely.  At this stage, they are fragile and their yolk sac is large in comparison to their body.  As they grow, their yolk sac will get smaller and smaller and they will become more active.

Handouts:

• Salmon Observation Log – There has been a lot of change since the eggs arrived.  What new observations can you make?
• Growing Up salmon coloring sheet – for all ages

More to come next week! Click here to go back to the Fish Eggs to Fry weekly update page.