On this visit to Adams River, one of the first things you notice is the smell. Suprisingly, it is not as bad as you might think it would be, but you'll never confuse it with lilacs. Oct 1st visit, there were only a few dead fish, but now, 3 weeks later into the spawning run, you had to be careful where you walked. This recently dead fish carried 2 tags, and I wondered why.

There are numerous Fisheries Dept personnel on hand to explain as best they can, in response to the thousands of questions they are bombarded with. As the fish swim up river to the spawning grounds, many thousands of the salmon are netted and a variety of tags are attached to the fish, in order to get a better idea of the spawning success. The fish are then released to continue up stream, to spawn, and die. Their bodies quickly decompose, releasing nutrients into the water and the soil. These nutrients benefit the young salmon that will hatch out next spring.

You can see top right and bottom left the various stages of decay that consume the salmon after they have spawned. The decomposition is quick and complete, with only the skeleton remaining within a couple of weeks. Numerous animals, birds, seagulls, eagles and hawks feed on the carcasses as well.