Goldsrteam Provincial Park on Vancouver Island has one of the most accessible salmon spawning runs in B.C. Running immediately adjacent to the Malahat Hwy. and only 25 or so km. from Victoria it attracts many visitors. The primary salmon species here are Chum salmon and the run extends over several weeks. The shallow water affords good views of the fish as they travel upstream and as the males jostle and battle each other in the quest to pass on their own genetic code. The males are already scarred from the trip in from the ocean and display white patches devoid of scales, skin sloughing off and bite marks from other fish. The females generally look in better shape with a blunter head and a long dark lateral line running the length of the body. They give their all to procreate and in the process provide a feast for the gulls, ravens, black bears and bald eagles gathered along the creeks and inlets.