September signals the onset of fall and the lazy end to another satisfying summer throughout North Mason and the Tahuya Peninsula. After Labor Day weekend, the visiting crowds visibly diminish and local life resumes a slower pace. Even the weather seems to mirror the calendar as water temperatures wane and students return to school.
Along Hood Canal’s South Shore, the exodus is particularly noticeable at Twanoh State Park. Gone are the families frolicking in the kiddy pond, water-skiing off shore and sunbathing on the beach. While a few campers can be found nestled beneath the towering cedars in Twanoh’s campground, for the most part, the park exudes a tranquil existence from September to May.
In late October, however, the salmon come home to Twanoh Creek. This fall run of chum salmon lasts until the end of November or early December and is a spectacular sight to see. Literally thousands of these fish come home to spawn before
dying in their native stream.
Twanoh Creek runs through both the upper and lower portions of the park and empties into Hood Canal at the boat launch parking lot. It provides a healthy habitat for the annual salmon run and is well-respected by folks who come to view this seasonal phenomena. Cedar rail fencing has been constructed along parts of the creek to discourage humans from getting too close. Watching as the salmon pair off and begin their reproductive dance is always remarkable, no matter how many times you see it.
The female "digs" the redd or salmon “nest” that is actually a deep narrow indentation in the creek bed, where she deposits her eggs. Males swim along behind and fertilize the cache. Human traffic in the creek bed runs the risk of putting undue pressure on the redds and compressing and killing the eggs. Be careful and resist the temptation to get too close. It’s important to preserve the safety of the redds.
Looking at the numbers of salmon swimming upstream, it seems hard to believe that it wasn’t always this way. Back in 1986, the salmon run was meager. Local resident Jerry Manuel wanted to change that and with his invention of the Remote Site Incubator (RSI), he was able over the course of about ten years to repopulate the stream. With the assistance of the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group, Manuel placed two RSIs upstream past the last few sites in the campground. Over a quarter million salmon eggs hatched and released as fry in the stream eventually ensured that the run would survive. In 1995-96, the RSIs were removed, as once again, the Twanoh Creek salmon run had become self-sustaining. And so it has remained, ever since.
Families in the know often choose Thanksgiving Day to visit Twanoh Creek and marvel at the mysterious miracle epitomized by these salmon. After living in the creek for their first month of life, the young fish swim off into the salt waters of Hood Canal and beyond. Forty-three months later, they return home as adults to spawn at the end of their life cycle. Their inbred duty fulfilled, the remains of their carcasses litter the streambed, providing a new source of food for the newly hatched chum fry, birds and animals of the forest.
Witnessing the determination, drive and dogged insistence of these fish as they fight their way upstream to ensure the survival of their species will leave you in awe. Follow the hiking trail that parallels the creek’s path as it winds upward into the forest. Be amazed as you watch the salmon conquer woody debris, waterfalls and seemingly impossible obstacles.
How do they know when and where to come “home?” The salmon life cycle is one of life’s mysteries that defies a neat and tidy scientific explanation. Go see it for yourself, and bring the family.
