They weren't hard to find....well, mostly because we went to a hatchery in Bellingham.
The salmon restoration efforts of the hatcheries factor into our story.
There were only a few stragglers in the holding tanks yesterday. The bulk of the runs have ended and the rearing of new fish won't be in full-swing until after the turn of the year.
What we were there for, though, was the human element. We met up with a biologist at the hatchery and discussed our film and the salmon at length.
The folks at Belllingham Technical College are very accommodating for opening their operations up to us.
As the skies above cleared and the sun started to peek out (though the bone-chilling temps remained), we decided to try our luck shooting sample footage and scouting out nearby creeks where salmon runs will happen this spring.
The leaves were frost-covered and announced our presence to the world via loud "crunching" as we walked along the wooded path down to the creek.
I took our HD underwater camera and tried to position it just below the waterline. Within the span of two seconds, the rock I had knelt on shifted forward and the newly-arranged center of gravity propelled me face-first into the creek. At the last possible moment, I twisted my body to where I'd land on my shoulder and arm. I did not do that so much to save myself injury from a face dive into a stony creek. No, I was trying to rescue the camera.
Aside from getting a bit wet and muddy, I'm pleased to say that neither the camera - nor I - were much worse for the wear.