Males compete to spawn with the female. Sometimes smaller males called jacks are also present. Jack salmon are small because they migrate after only a year in the ocean but can spawn nevertheless. The female deposits some of her eggs in the redd and the male fertilizes them with a milky cloud of sperm called milt. Eggs are laid in batches deposited in pockets within the redd.
Spawners guard the nest to protect it from intruders.
Most Pacific salmon die within one to two weeks after spawning. Life from Death - Pacific salmon do not survive to care for their young but their deaths are an important factor in young salmon survival. The decaying bodies of salmon who have spawned are a vital part of the stream ecology. Nutrients from their decomposition support plant and insect life that later nourish emergent salmon. Streamside plants absorb salmon nutrients and bears, birds, small mammals and even deer also feed on salmon carcasses.