During yesterday’s walk along the southern edge of Cardiff Bay, I spotted this huge metre-long fish cruising along sluggishly very close to the embankment. Turns out it was a Salmon, possibly returning to the Bay after having spawned somewhere high up in the River Taff.
Sadly, this fish has probably now reached the end of its life … but what a life! As Will Millard kindly explained on Twitter, this Salmon may have
been born in the Taff, migrated to sea, possibly even as far as Greenland, to pile on weight, mass and muscle over a few years, before returning, hundreds of miles home to spawn and then die. It’s sad when any animal comes to the end of its life, but what a story & other life is sustained from the salmon carcass. In parts of Canada and Alaska whole forests gain massive parts of their nutrients purely from salmon dying at the end of the salmon run.
Will also explained that Salmon often develop skin infections during times of stress, which may explain the pale, ‘cotton wool’-like appearance of parts of its skin.
earthstar 
A great spot and its good to see them in the river system. If you are patient and lucky you can see them jumping Radyr weir.
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I spent a magical couple of hours doing just that a couple of years ago, Dave. 🙂
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It also looks blind in that one eye. Thank you for posting the Big Wheel of Life image and story. I resonate that this one fish can express and directly, visually tell a whole multitude of powerful myths and epic stories. You make me feel as if Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers walked up to the water’s edge to great this Envoy of the Birth-n-Death, and proceeded to read poetry honoring it in a living eulogy… which, by the way you have already presented here as a gift. Thank you.
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