Pacific salmon have been on the radar of scientists and conservation groups for a while now. They’ve tried to raise the population through restricting fishing, creating more hatchies, and reversing habitat loss. But after nearly 50 years, the salmon population are still struggling.
As the climate changes, water sources like rivers are getting warmer, and ocean currents that are crucial for marine life, like salmon, are now changing. Warmer water has unpredictable effects on the salmon population; as they notice the change in temperature, they become easier prey and spawn fewer eggs.
The Reason Behind Their Population Loss
The salmon have and still continue to face a major problem – dams. The unique fish need to swim upstream in order to reproduce, but dams sit in the way, preventing them from reaching their destination. Some dams have put fish ladders in place, but the salmon are still susceptible to predators because of the slow currents that the damns create.
Many hatcheries were established to try to improve the salmon population, but once the farmed salmon were sent out into the water, they were inexperienced compared to wild salmon and other fish. This meant that they wouldn’t make it far, and when they breed with wild salmon, the spawn produced is overall worse than pure-bred Pacific salmon.
Overfishing And Predators
Salmon have been an immensely popular source of food for centuries. Unfortunately, this comes at the expense of the salmon, as even with limited fishing regulations, they are still hunted illegally. Overfishing is a huge problem for their numbers.
To make matters worse, fishermen are also competing with local predators that rely on the salmon for food. Because of the lower population, animals like sea lions and birds are becoming bold and have even learned to pray on salmon at dams where the current is slower.
Factors Having a Knock-on Effect
Salmon populations are also heavily influenced by the quality of water they are in. Water pollution like chemicals from factories and other industrial processes are making their way into the rivers where the salmon live. This means that the salmon are weakened or end up perishing before they can make it to the ocean.
Parasites also contributes to a lower population, as hatcheries with small populations being the perfect environment parasites like sea lice to breed. This only weakens the farmed salmon and sea lice can latch onto wild salmon from the farmed ones.
Pollution isn’t only affecting the salmon population, coupled with climate change, essential food sources like plankton and krill have lowered in population as well. This means that the salmon find it harder to feed and reproduce in bigger quantities.
A Huge Decline In Population
All of these effects are stacking up, meaning that rivers that once saw hundreds of healthy salmon every year are now seeing less and less. Some rivers that used to have a high population have barely any at all anymore.
As the population of salmon shrinks, this means that there are fewer lineages for them to adapt and survive. With a smaller genetic pool, they aren’t going to have much chance to adapt to these brutal conditions.
Still A Chance
The low population of salmon doesn’t speak for the hard conservation work that’s been done over the course of 40 years. The problem is that these methods haven’t been enough to allow the salmon population to recover and bounce back. A proactive approach is needed before these animals disappear.
However, the salmon aren’t going anywhere just yet. As researchers get more desperate to aid in the recovery of the pacific salmon, bolder solutions are being proposed. The clock is ticking, but there is still time to save them.
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