The public will have a chance next week to witness the annual spectacle of the American River salmon run.

About 10:40 a.m. on Nov. 3, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will open the fish ladder at Nimbus Hatchery on American River. This allows fall-run Chinook salmon migrating upstream from the Pacific Ocean to enter the hatchery, and it also provide an excellent viewing opportunity for the public.

Nimbus Hatchery was built in 1958 as mitigation for the construction of dams that prevented fall-run salmon from accessing their historic spawning habitat upstream. Instead, fish swim into the hatchery, where their eggs are harvested to produce several million salmon each year. The hatchery will collect more than a half-million eggs in the first week alone.