River of the Dead - The Final Days of the Goldstream Salmon Run

Early this fall I ventured to Goldstream Park for the annual salmon run to see if I could capture the fish moving upstream to their spawning grounds.

Luckily for me I was able to nab a few shots of the returning fish and had a great day on the river.

Since then, the weather has turned here in Victoria and the rains have begun to fall.

The real reason for my hike in the forest, which I post about yesterday was to return to Goldstream and check on the progress of the fish and see if the run was still happening.

To my surprise the water level of the river had risen over a meter and the water was moving so rapidly that it was nearly impossible to enter the water at any point safely to get images of the fish.

I had initially want to go back and shoot at the most popular spots with easy access and parking, but these areas were overflowing with families, school groups and hikers so I needed to find a new spot. I travelled a little further south back towards Victoria and found a protected little area below a bridge. The condition were about as bad as I have ever seen due to the rise in water, the debris in the water and the river itself was cloudy and brown.

With the conditions being so treacherous I had to be very careful. I had to protect my camera equipment as well as be very mindful of the fish I might encounter. This late in the season the fish are very tired from the swim and spawn as well their bodies are in a rapid state of decomposition.

The spot along the highway bridge turned out to be a perfect spot for getting some images. I was lucky to have found it and be able to find a few of the last fish during their spawn.

I'm looking forward to next year and hope that its a successful run as well.

Thanks for reading.

Scott

For more images and stories - http://www.scottstevensonphotography.ca/