I headed over to the Ballard Locks yesterday.
The salmon spawning season was almost over (actually, it officially ended on Friday), and I wanted to watch the last few fish heading upstream to get jiggy with it.
As I neared the locks, I heard the faint sounds of a Barry White record emanating from the general direction of Lake Washington.
“Awwww yeah”, I thought, “some lucky sockeye is about to play hide the fish salami … I can’t wait for the product of that booty call!”
It was then that I looked just west of the locks and spotted a lone sea lion thrashing about in the water. He had caught a fish. He poked his head out of the water several times, fish still in-mouth, rolled on his back, dove, and came back up … all while gnawing on lunch. I’ve never seen a creature so excited about a meal before. I felt like I was watching Rosie O’Donnell at a Hometown Buffet.
After watching the pinniped dine for awhile, we descended the steps to the fish ladder to find only one or two stragglers trying to get upstream.
Stick a fork in the 2011 spawning season. It’s done.
By all accounts, this guy got the last fresh salmon of the season:
Sea Lion Eating Fish
Cool shot.