A Fish Eye's View

Sly The Silver Salmon

I have finally finished out my 1 year in salt water and it is time for me to begin my journey back to fresh water where I will then have the opportunity to spawn and complete my life cycle.  I am so pumped!  It has been a great 5 years.  I began my life as a fertilized egg in fresh water where my mother laid me.  She left me with my nutrient filled egg sack, which I ate as I developed into an alevin.  Once my egg sack was gone I could finally be called a fry.  What an exciting time in my life!  I grew for about 4 years in the fresh water, but then one day I just had a wild itch to see the world, so I headed downstream, and ended up in the ocean.  What a change!  The predators were as big as whales!  Zipping in and around the Pacific Ocean I had the time of my life.  Aside from those Kings I was the biggest Salmon around.  Then one day something changed.  Maybe it was just hormones, or some really irrational nostalgia, but I had the intense urge to go swim up the river where I was born, even though it would kill me.  My milt was ready to fertilize some eggs :)  As I made my way to the estuary I found many other silver salmon experiencing the same hormonal insanity.  Before entering the fresh water I decided it was time for one last meal.  After 5 years I can definitely say that it was the biggest mistake of my life.  In front of me I saw a piece of something twirling and dangling and thought about how lucky I was to have that lovely meal dropped right in front of me.  I dove towards it, pushing other salmon out of the way as I grabbed it.  I grabbed the perfect section of meat but then I immediately felt something tug on my mouth.  I tried to retreat and take back the meal that I had just swallowed, but it was not letting go of me.  As I was pulled toward the surface I began to see the outline of what appeared to be a boat.  As I surfaced I saw four people upon the boat jumping around, grabbing nets, and stretching out towards me.  I resisted even more and watched the human on the other side of the line struggle to keep a hold of me.  I was strong, but the humans were stronger and I was eventually hauled into the boat and indignantly thrown below with others who had suffered the same fate as I.  However, it was gratifying knowing that I would be able to provide meat for those in need throughout the cold winter above the water.  My life was complete and although I would not be able to complete it the way I had thought, I knew that I now had an even higher calling and I am thankful for that opportunity.


Harriet the Halibut

What a life I lead on the bottom of the ocean.  265 feet down and I would go further if I could, but I am a little halibut and I am trying to stick close to others of my kind.  It is dark and cold down here, and both of my eyes are on one side of my body, that is how much I love staring upward.  Being as I am a lucky halibut a tasty, stinky fish has just landed in front of me.  I am not one to snap and grab it though. I think I'll just nibble a little bit and take a minute to let it all go down.  As I'm swallowing the tasty, stinky fish, I feel a tug deep in my throat and feel myself being lifted off of my comfy ocean bottom bed.  I don't want to go up to the surface!  It's too bright up there!  I fight with all 20 pounds the whole 265 feet.  The hook is imbedded so deep within me that the human on the other end of the line finally wins out.  However, in my last few minutes of life I take in the funniest scene that my eyes have ever beheld.  I am hauled into a boat where the human on the other end of the line is almost passed out from the exertion of the fight.  Take that!  I am glad that although I may not have been the winner of this fight, I do not have to deal with the next week of sore muscles that the human is going to have to deal with.  What a wonderful life!  I'm glad to know that I made the human work for those tasty fillets that will later come off of me after I've passed. 


Yvonne the Yellow-Eyed

I am a Rockfish, but of a different color.  My eyes are buggy and yellow and my skin is the color of sherbert.  I swim around with a look of constant surprise on my face.  Of course, I am a fish, and with my short memory it's befitting because I am constantly surprised.  Just like any other day I was trying to find a meal wherever I could get one and it just so happened that today was my lucky day.  Right in front of me a squid landed and he was way to slow for my quick reflexes.  I snapped so quick that I took the whole squid in at once.  The only problem was that when I swallowed the squid I had an immediate case of heart burn that began to force me to rise to the surface.  I tried to dispel this unpleasant feeling by throwing up my air bladder.  I was not the only one surprised by the sudden change of events.  As I was pulled aboard what I assume was a boat, the surprise and wonder from the female human on the other side of the boat almost equaled my own.  Once on board I knew the next course of action that would take place.  I would be grabbed and my air bladder that had been used just seconds before to protect would be popped and my juices would squirt all over whoever took on that calling.  The surprise on their faces was classic!  As I am filleted my ear bones will be cut out for their ivory and made into jewelery for the beautiful female who pulled me aboard.  It was a good life and I enjoyed what I can remember of it.


We had a great time fishing with Paul and Chris.  Waking up at 3:30 in the morning, on the water by 5:30, fishing until 4:00 in the afternoon, and processing fish until about 9:30 at night, it has taken us all week to catch up from the exhaustion.  But, our freezer is full of fish at the moment, and we are looking forward to eating it throughout the course of the winter.  Paul and Chris could not have made the trip more fun, especially Chris's excitement over every single thing that was hooked, whether we ended up hauling it into the boat or not.  We are so thankful for their hospitality, and Ben is really looking forward to going out again.  It was not without it's punishment though, since every time we closed our eyes or got into the shower for the next two days we felt like we were back on the waves being tossed about like one of those Magic 8-Balls.

Thank you Paul and Chris!
Ben and Rachel