Salmon Journey

For over one hundred years the salmon population in the Columbia Basin has been drastically decreasing, due to overfishing and man made obstacles. The Columbia Basin Fish Accords have given a one billion dollar grant to tribes and states for habitat restoration projects. However, the conflict still rages between the native tribes of the area, and the federal government whose roadblocks such as dams prohibit the free flowing rivers that bring salmon back to the spawning grounds. The effort to keep salmon coming back up the river while keeping the dams intact is the struggle that the federal grant hopes to solve.

Salmon have a truly incredible life cycle. Like all fish, salmon spawn from female eggs and then go on to develop into “alevin,” which is a term for newly hatched fish. First off, they derive nourishment from the yolk sac from where the salmon are born. Once the sac has been absorbed, the “fry,” or baby fish, then emerges from the river gravel and starts the search for food. Fry instinctively deal with the river currents and learn to swim together as a school right away. Anywhere from a couple days to two years old, fry will continue to live in fresh water until they start the next, “smolting,” phase. Smolting is a

The average period of time that sockeye salmon live in the wild is 4 to 5 years. The oldest salmon that was caught was 8 years of age. Usually sockeye salmon die after mating (“Longevity, aging and life history of Oncorhynchus nerka”, 2009; Groot, 1966)One thing about sockeye salmon that is special and unique about them is that they swim in runs when migrating to freshwater streams to spawn. They additionally establish gregarious hierarchies, conventionally at times of reproduction. The most astronomically immense male is most ascendant (Crutchfield and Pontecorvo, 1969; Quinn, 2005). The predators of sockeye salmon are considered to be bears, lake trout, squawfish, mountain whitefish, and birds such as mew gull. Humans additionally consume a considerable about sockeye salmon.

There are many risks associated with eating farm-raised salmon versus wild- caught salmon. One risk that farm raised salmon faces is contaminants that can lead to cancer. Farm raised salmon are placed in artificially made bodies of water such as ponds, lakes, and salt water and within these bodies of water, contaminants such as PCBs can be present. Cancer causing chemicals can be present in both the water, farm-raised salmon swims in, and the food they eat. Another risk with farm-raised salmon is the use of antibiotics in order to keep the fish healthy. This unknown amount of antibiotics used on the fish can lead to a resistance to the antibiotic used to kill the bacteria’s in both human and the salmon. The humans that are consuming the fish that possess these antibiotics are unintentionally

Chinook salmon (known by its scientific name as Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) is the largest species out of the Pacific salmon genus, with an individual chinook measured over 120 pounds (fishwatch.gov, 2014). Often known by the name as “king salmon”, it is one of the most expensive salmons as this species of the Pacific salmon is not abundant in North America. This salmon is originated in rivers ranging from Central California to northwest Alaska, but can also be found outside the United States such as in northern Pacific countries such as Canada, Russia, and Japan. They often live in oceans, but are spawned and born in freshwater rivers and streams (fishwatch.gov, 2014). According to the NOAA Fisheries, the United States currently has more than 20 stocks within the range between Central California to northwest Alaska. Population ranges varies within region—with rates of decline, growth, and constant of Chinooks in Alaska (fishwatch.gov, 2014), while non-Alaskan Chinooks in the Pacific Northwest are currently facing rates of decline (Peery, Kavanagh, and Scott, 2003). In terms of the current status of endangerment/threatened, it varies within region in parallel with population rate. The Chinook salmon from Alaska are considered healthy and none of them have yet been listed in the Endangered Species Act (fishwatch.gov, 2014). On the other hand, those in the Columbia and Sacramento Rivers are currently face being endangered, while Chinooks living in the California Central Valley

Commercial fishing boats are pushing to catch as many Atlantic salmon as they can after a net pen broke near Washington's Cypress Island. Fishermen reported thousands of the non-native fish jumping in the water or washing ashore. The pen, in the state's northwestern San Juan Islands, contained about 305,000 Atlantic salmon. Environmentalists are concerned that the escaped Atlantic salmon could potentially mate and crossbreed with the Pacific salmon or compete with them for food but they are not completely sure what the ramifications will be. Now, owner Cooke Aquaculture and the Washington department of fish and wildlife are trying to determine how many escaped. The director of the wild fish conservancy northwest, Kurt Beardslee , called the

While it is not entirely known how salmon manage to navigate treacherous waters to return to the place they are born, research shows that changes in the water have affected the way they perceive the world around them, and could greatly impact the way that salmon

Juvenile Pacific Salmon and other migratory marine animals are travel many long distance under water to use resources in different oceanic regions. The main question is how these marine animals travel many long distance and able to locate Specific Ocean feeding areas without previous experience. Researchers experimentally demonstrate that the juvenile chinook salmon respond to magnetic field which lead them toward their marine feeding grounds. The “magnetic map” of Juvenile salmon to be inherited. These results, Similar with findings in the sea turtles indicate that the magnetic maps are genetically wide spread and show their navigational abilities evident in many long distance under water

If you are like most people, you are picturing a perfect environment where fish swim together in clear water being fed pellets by a local fish farmer in waders. This is a lie. The reality is that up to 2 million salmon are packed into tiny cages where the stressed fish desperately try to find some relief by jumping out of the water (Mercola, 2016). What is worse is that up to a quarter of the fish in any given salmon farm

Lou Gonzales, of Sonora, recently returned from a salmon fishing trip to the Kenai River in Alaska, near Soldotna. Due to low return numbers, the Kenai River had been closed to the taking of king (chinook) salmon for the past few years. Gonzales was amazed at how good the fishing was since the closure. Gonzalez and friends released over 30 kings during the trip, keeping the biggest of the allowable one per day limit, which weighed 48 and 50-pounds. Numerous silver (coho) salmon were also caught. While on the Kenai, the friend with whom he was fishing had a rule - to release kings under 30-pounds. Gonzales has been there on trips in the past, but never saw it quite this good. A few years back, he caught a huge king in the 70-pound class. The

You are at a midsummer barbeque, you are about to take a bite of a mouth watering salmon burger, but have you considered the consequences the salmon you are about to eat has? Salmon farming is damaging to local wildlife and for this reason it is crucial that it must be halted. Salmon farming is damaging to British Colombia’s economy and must be terminated. Salmon farming must stop as it poses a health risk to its consumers. Salmon farming in British Colombia must be brought to a complete stop immediately.

Anadromous salmonids, which travel between freshwater and saltwater, is an example of how habitat loss can change evolutionary patterns. Dams constructed for hydroelectric power generation are blocking the access for these fishes, but culverts and river engineering have also reduced the amount of habitat that anadromous fishes can use (Furniss et al. 1991; NRC 1996). These results suggest that loss of habitat will alter evolutionary patterns in salmonid populations.

Over the past 25 years, Atlantic salmon has become one of the endangered species among the red list. The problem first occurred at Penobscot river. Initially, 75% of the whole country’s Atlantic salmon population lived there, but now, less than 5% remain. The main reason that leads to the rapid decline of Atlantic salmon to the state of extinction is due to overfishing which begins from 1950. As the decline in salmon population became evident, farming of salmon began in 1980 and fishing stopped in 1990. Furthermore, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) decided to step in and rectify this problem when they realized the seriousness of this issue. They spent 7.3 million into American Recovery and reinvestment Act (ARRA) to rebuild

August 3rd, 1974, local neighborhood father found beaten in local school. Witnesses say that Mr. Salmon attacked neighborhood girl, Clarissa. Luckily, a young hero was there to save her. “I heard Clarissa screaming and found Mr. Salmon attacking her… I saw a bat on the ground and pursued him,” said Brian; Clarissa’s boyfriend and was luckily by the school when it had happened. People believe that this happened because of the death of his young daughter, Susie. “I believe that Mr. Salmon had become depressed over the death of his daughter that he had become somewhat deranged,” Len explained. Len Fenerman is a detective who has been leading Susie’s case. In Susie’s case, Len, as well as the rest of the police have found an elbow and a love note from Ray Singh. “I know my son didn’t do it… He is a brilliant and loving son,” said Ruana Singh, Ray’s mother.

In The salmon fished in British Columbia generally migrate from the ocean and into nearby watersheds to spawn. While in the ocean, salmon depend on a diet of small fish, such as krill and herring. However with the risk of biodiversity depletion, many of these species may disappear, affecting fish populations globally and British Columbia’s salmon population. If our local salmon populations were to decrease, the long term effects would greatly disturb the killer whale and bear populations that depend on the fish, the indigenous people, the fishing business, and overall