Warmer temperatures have put chinook salmon — and a way of life — in grave danger
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whatonearth/overheated-chinook-salmon-1.7313494
by GeraldKutney
Warmer temperatures have put chinook salmon — and a way of life — in grave danger
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whatonearth/overheated-chinook-salmon-1.7313494
by GeraldKutney
1 comment
As said in the article, the warmer conditions affect the fish’s metabolism, oxygen levels in the water, and the prevalence of fatal parasites. And climate change may be driving other risks. For example, subtle changes in the arrival of spring foils the carefully timed start of migration to the sea, making smolts much more vulnerable to predation on their way out.
On top of all the other suspected impacts, it may not be possible to untangle the exact causes of salmon decline. But it’s clear that almost all of them – and all the substantial ones – are related to human industry. Commercial fishing may have the most immediate and obvious impact, but curtailment of fishing won’t be enough to save the salmon.
The loss of Chinook is especially poignant – their size is legendary and they’re the tastiest of all salmon. Canned sockeye doesn’t compare.