Tag Archives: ladder

Salmon Climbing The Ladder

The salmon that come through the locks in Ballard come in three waves according to the park rangers. There are three types of salmon and each type comes at a slightly different time of year. (I’m sure the sales like this so they get three feeding times!). Within the fish ladder, they have a viewing gallery which allows you to see the fish as they loiter for a while before surging up the next step in the ladder against the flowing water.

It is quite impressive to see how fast they can go when they make an effort. They swim gently against the current in the viewing area waiting for a time that seems appropriate to them. Then they align themselves with the inlet port through which the water is rushing. This needs a dose of acceleration to avoid being pushed back into the gallery and then, once they are stabilized, a surge of effort and they zip up the port. Photos don’t do it much justice but video is a better medium. The reflections off the glass are not ideal but you will get the idea.

Salmon Waiting to Head to Spawning Grounds

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The salmon head to spawn in phases with the three different breeds coming at slightly different times. They head through the ladder at the locks in Ballard in the fall but, before they head into Lake Washington, they pause in the approach area. The transition from salt water to fresh is something that they have to adjust to and the area just by the locks where the fresh water is spilling out provides a good place for them to get adjusted. They can stay for a couple of weeks or more. The result was that we saw a lot of salmon swimming around in the waters by the dam. This was not a risk free occupation as shall be covered in a future post.

What Am I Supposed to do With This F-16 Ladder?

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The Open House at Portland International that the Redhawks held was not the only thing going on that morning. While we were checking out the F-15s, a bunch of ground crew were at work out on the ramp area. They were setting up spots on the ramp for some incoming planes. As soon as I saw the ladders being carried, I could see that they were not for F-15s. They looked a lot more like F-16 ladders. The crews carried them out in a variety of manners but this person seemed to have a more relaxed way of moving a ladder around.

The Fish Ladder

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Hiram M Chittenden was not only the man in charge of creating the Ballard Locks, he also was ahead of his time in understanding some of the ecological impact of what he was doing. The importance of the fish to the region and the disruption that the salmon would experience led him to the creation of a fish ladder. There is still one there now although it appears to be of slightly more modern construction.

There are ramps alongside parts of the ladder so you can look down and see the fish as they work their way up the steps. You can also look down and see a lot of them swimming around in the approach to the ladder itself. Meanwhile, there is a viewing gallery that has windows into the side of part of the ladder where you can watch the fish either resting in the quieter flows or forcing their way up to the next level. There were signs telling us which types of fish there might be but I have to admit they all looked alike to me.

Is Climbing Out Via This Ladder Making Things Worse?

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The salt water end of the locks is tidal. The walls clearly show how high the water will rise with a combination of algae and barnacles. The barnacles seem to have got themselves well established everywhere. There is a ladder built in to the wall to assist you if you end up in the water and need to get out. However, judging by how many barnacles are now in residence on the rungs of the ladder, I am going to guess that climbing it will be a very painful experience. Maybe there is a better way?