I stand in awe - part 2

Who manages the Salmon Run

In this blog we will relate the natural phenomena called the salmon run, a phenomenon so carefully and scientifically orchestrated that it defies human understanding. At the core of this story is the question - who manages this run, as it can only take supernatural management and organizational skills that can ensure it runs so smoothly and scientifically correct, although some aspects of this is not even understood properly by us.

The atheists on the other hand will maintain that it is driven by random events, and that what is to be done is stored within the cells of these fishes. If you give it enough time anything is possible and time will make it perfect.

Of course, we who now better, know that it is being managed. We work for instance in big corporations where all things are managed, organised, documented, procedures implemented etc. to a degree that testifies to the ingenuity of mankind. The atheists no doubt will argue that there is no management of anything of any kind operating in the biog corporations and that everything just happens randomly. I mean - man has for centuries does this type of thing - so it is second nature for things to fall exactly into place.

Each year in October the Sockeye Salmon comes to the Adams River in Canada, to spawn and die. My wife and I were privileged enough to be able to experience this site of nature's great migration and one of the great marvels of God’s awesome creation in the Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial park in British Columbia.

I would like to give a few quick facts about the Sockeye salmon. The name Sockeye is believed to be derived from the coast Salish name “ sukkai “ in southwest British Columbia.The best known Pacific salmon, sockeye,are the most sought after for their superior flesh , colour and quality.Their rich oil content and red colour make them a favourite gourmet delight. Sockeye is the second smallest of the five Pacific salmon species and is part of the trout family. Sockeye salmon are omnivores and their diet of orange krill gives their meat it’s unique orange colour.

The main spawning area of sockeye extends from the Fraser river in BC to Alaska’s Bristol bay.Their life cycle starts in Spring when the sockeye eggs that slowly developed over the winter are washed into the Shuswap lake by the warming waters of May.They will stay in the fresh water lake for a year. In May and June of their second year they travel the 500 km rough and tumbling waters of the Fraser and Thompson rivers to the Pacific ocean.

In their Pacific wanderings that take them as far away as Japan , they cover a huge area in the Pacific. One of the most remarkable features of Sockeye is a phenomenon called “ cyclic dominance”.Sockeye can mature at ages between 2-6 years old , but in most systems one age group (usually four year old fish ) dominates.That means a huge increase in population and most four year old off springs return to the Adams river in a spectacular way and numbers every four years.( 2010 was one of these years ).

As soon as they enter the fresh water they stop eating/ feeding , their grey body colour turns red and their head green. In every fourth year cycle between 2,0 and 3,6 million fish return to the Adams river in BC.

How do they get here ?

To complete their life cycle they have to return to the streams that gave them life four years earlier. Salmon have two ways to find their exact spawning grounds. In the ocean they use and follows a mapping system that follows the earth’s magnetic field. When they reach fresh water, they use their olfactory system (sense of smell ). When salmon are born, they imprint different scents to help them find these exact spots four years later. We can probably call it scent memories ! – Unbelievable ! The amazing phenomenon of these fish to find the exact river on a 2600 mile coast line is further evidence of God’s truly marvelous creation.

They will battle the turbulent Fraser and Thompson rivers for 500 km into the heart of BC ( Nearly 1800 meter elevation ). They will fight everything in their way in search of the exact stream they came from. They will batter their bodies for 17 days – and all of this to lay down their own lives so that the next generation might receive theirs.

One of the areas the salmon have to pass through is called Hell’s Gate . A turbulent raging chute of water in the Fraser canyon. Between 34 to 200 million gallons of water per minute rush through this narrow gorge. This is one of many obstacles , and l admire their determination , strength and ability to leap over this area.

With 65 hectares of stream bed, the Adams river is one of the richest natural spawning streams in North America. Each female salmon will lay 7 nests or Redds , each containing 4000 – 5000 eggs. Soon after this they will die.The dead salmon is a major injection of nutrients into the Adams river and bordering Shuswap lake. The bears drag the dead salmon into the woods , fertilizing trees and plants. The death and decay of millions of spawning sockeye introduces nearly 3000 metric tons of nutrients into the Adams river ecosystem – Amazing !

This natural fertilizer is carried into the Shuswap lake by spring flood waters where it nurtures the newborn salmon. The 2 billion eggs that are laid in the Adams river, will help feed other fish and birds around the lake.

There are many parallels of the Sockeye run to a Christian struggle :

Picture a vast ocean , filled with many sinners who need to hear about Jesus and accept Him as their saviour. There is a single river leading from that ocean to the headwaters of Heaven. We begin swimming up God’s river when we are saved. Satan , like a bear or eagle, is always lurking along the way. The salmon, just like us, need to avoid them at all cost. Just like the salmon change colour when they enter the fresh water river , we as Christians, do change when we accept Jesus as our saviour. We are supposed to stand out and not blend into society and the world.

We also have to make it through “ Hell’s Gate “ and turbulence of this world to reach our destination. (Matt 7 : 13- 14) “ enter by the narrow gate , for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction ,and there are many who go in by it. Because, narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life , and there are few who find it “

Christians are promised an upstream swim – 2 Tim 3 : 12 and John 16 : 33 . Paul said “ we are hard pressed on every side , yet not crushed. We are perplexed but not in despair , persecuted but not forsaken , struck down but not destroyed “. God in His mighty way provides along the way of life’s struggles , occasional quiet pools where we can rest and gather our strength. ( Psalm 23 : 2- 3 ) . Just like the salmon do along their journey. . .

After all is said , how can we not stand in awe at God’s amazing creation !

I am closing with the wise words of the park founder Roderick Haigh – Brown :

“ The salmon run are is a visible symbol of life , death and regeneration, plain for all to see and share. The salmon are a test of a healthy environment , a lesson in environmental needs. Their abundant presence on the spawning beds is a lesson of hope , of deep importance for the future of man. If there is ever a time when the salmon no longer return, man will know he has failed again and moved one step nearer to his own final disappearance . . . “

DJ Cloete - Canada