This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger went behind the scenes of the Fort Peck Hatchery to find out how a King Salmon can go from a tiny egg to one of the most sought after and hardest fighting fish in Montana’s largest body of water. This Podcast is destined to be a classic so we thought we would call this one “Rigger and the Salmon Factory”! Yes, we are talking about the mighty King Salmon or more accurately known as the Chinook Salmon, which is the Everlasting Gobstopper of the salmon species, but it is far from being a native fish of Montana. So how does the Chinook Salmon continue to maintain it’s population? After all, these fish only live for 3 or 4 years and they won’t spawn in Fort Peck Reservoir. There is no way Montana FWP could go out buy fingerlings to stock into the reservoir every year. They have to get them from the Chinooks that are in Fort Peck Reservoir now, but as we said they don’t spawn so then how…. That is where Fisheries Biologist Heath Headley and Fort Peck Hatchery Manager Wade Geraets come in. They take the eggs from the dying females and milt from the dying males and turn all that into a brand-new King Salmon every year! How do they do that? Well, when you click here to watch or here to listen you will find out. Rigger does a deep dive into all of that and we are positive that you are going to be amazed and entertained by what this podcast for reveals. For example, Heath and his crew collected 895,000 Salmon eggs this year. How do they know that? Those tiny, tiny eggs were counted, no not by Wade’s Oompa Loompas, he does not have any of those. So how then? That is just one of the many questions you will get answered when you click here to watch or here to listen. Rigger even got his buddy The Captain of the Montana Outdoor Radio Show involved. Captain was able to record amazing video of the process while Rigger did a fascinating interview with the Salomon wizards Heath and Wade there at the hatchery. So DO NOT miss the amazing adventure and incredible tale of “Rigger and the Salmon Factory”! Just click here to watch or here to listen.
Links:
- To learn more about the Fort Peck Fish Hatchery click here.
- To ask Heath Headley questions click here.
- To ask Wade Geraets questions click here.
- Got a question or comment for Rigger? Click here.
