Rearing

In the dying of the parent salmon come the hatching of the eggs about 90-120 days later. Small larvae called "alevin" are born. The alevins stay within the "redds" until spring. Here they can develop before starting their journey. As they emerge from the gravel they are called "fry" and are only about 1 inch long. It is interesting to note that only about 20 eggs out of every 100 laid by the female salmon survive to become fry.

As the fry leave the "redds" they move in schools ,or groups, in search of other streams where food can be found as well as safe shelter from predators. Only 10 percent of the fry that leave the "redds" to find adequate food and shelter will actually survive. The remainder die from lack of food or as they fall prey to numerous predators.

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