It only takes a couple seconds

I haven’t been neglecting my blog lately I promise! The internet at the lodge got taken out the same day of the hatchery fire so I just haven’t been able to post anything.
Today I learned a little more about the life of a salmon. That little bit being the first seconds of many salmon’s lives. For the first time this year we stripped the hens (females) and milked the males. The process is quite simple; first you get a hen that is ready to spawn. You can tell because their stomachs are very soft. Then you squeeze the eggs out by running your thumb from head to tail. It looks really easy. So far I have just been holding the tubs. We put one salmon’s eggs into each tub and record it. We then go about milking a male. To do this is similar to the females but there is no way to tell if a male is ready, you just have to grab one and do a similar action with your thumb and forefinger. You have to be really careful not to let any water touch the milk as this activates it and it will only stay fertile for a couple seconds. The next step is putting the milk in with the eggs and a little water, swirl it around and let them rest for several minutes. Most of the fertilization is done within a few seconds but we give them several minutes to be on the safe side. Then we gently rinse the eggs and place them in special trays that have holes to let running water through but not the eggs. Then we leave them. I am told that in about 4 to five weeks they will start to get eyes and will wiggle if you watch carefully. Lets cross my fingers that I did everything right so we can have first generation Wolken salmon come spring. It is amazing to see really. The eggs change from a translucent orange to a cloudy orange after they have been fertilized. It is really cool stuff and we will keep this process up for about the next three weeks. I will try and get some pictures and maybe even a video and try and post them. Cheers and g’night!