salmon runs
Fish returning home
Salmon runs are the seasonal migrations of salmon from the ocean upstream to their spawning grounds.
The fish travel in large numbers, often returning to the exact rivers where they hatched.
These events are significant for ecosystems and fisheries, drawing bears, eagles, and anglers alike: The salmon runs on the Columbia have declined sharply since the dams went in.
- spawningReleasing eggs to reproduce
- anadromousMigrating upstream to breed
- smoltSalmon ready for saltwater
- river basinLand draining to one waterway
- carcassesDead animal bodies
migration · river mouth · dam removal · subsistence fishing · spawning grounds · fry · parr · watershed · nutrients · fish ladders · lifecycle · commercial fisheries · bears · estuary · tributary · Pacific Northwest · wild caught · gill net
- Alaska WildernessDenali, Alaska Range, caribou, brown bears, grizzly bear
- Northern Fisheriespollock, halibut, cod, king crab, snow crab
- AlaskaFairbanks, Juneau, Denali, Sitka, Kodiak
- marine resourcesfisheries, seafood, fish stocks, shellfish, commercial fishing
- California conservationwildlife corridors, wildlife refuges, habitat preservation, marine reserves, conservation laws
- California historystatehood, Spanish colonization, Spanish mission, gold rush, Sutter's Mill