In this picture, two Sockeye salmon are almost completely out of the water as they attack each other. The two fish are males, scrapping it out, seeking dominance over the other, in order to mate with both female fish.

You can see the 2 female Sockeye lying parallel to each other, busily scattering gravel out of the way, as they create a suitable nesting area. As I watched, the 2 males returned, each on the outside of their respective females. The females laid their eggs, and the males fertilized them .

The four fish rested for a few moments, then each pair left to repeat the process again elsewhere in the river. They will continue this spawning process over several days, until the female exhausts her egg supply, and then they will die.

You will note that the presence of dead and spawned out salmon does not deter these fish from their chosen vocation.