Salmon are interesting fish. They are anadromous - as adults they live in the ocean, but they lay their eggs in freshwater streams. The young fish hatch and grow in fresh water before returning to the ocean. As adults they (mostly) return to the same stream where they were born. They use a sense of smell/taste to find their way back. All Pacific salmon and most Atlantic salmon die after spawning. Salmon are related to trout, char, and grayling.
We stopped briefly at Goldstream Park just north of Victoria. To the locals, the salmon are nothing special, they come every year, but it was new to me. All the dead salmon were attracting lots of feasting gulls. Bald eagles, bears and other animals also come to feed, but we didn't see any. It's mostly Chum Salmon, although there are also some Coho and Chinook as well as Steelhead and Cutthroat trout. These salmon don't have far to swim upstream, but some salmon travel as far as 1400 km to reach where they spawn.
All the dead, decaying, and half eaten salmon seem a little gruesome (and smelly!) but it's a natural cycle that has many side benefits. The dead salmon are eaten by wildlife and end up bringing nutrients from the ocean to the forest.
At first I thought all the salmon were dead, but then I realized there were quite a few still alive and swimming in the river.
We stopped briefly at Goldstream Park just north of Victoria. To the locals, the salmon are nothing special, they come every year, but it was new to me. All the dead salmon were attracting lots of feasting gulls. Bald eagles, bears and other animals also come to feed, but we didn't see any. It's mostly Chum Salmon, although there are also some Coho and Chinook as well as Steelhead and Cutthroat trout. These salmon don't have far to swim upstream, but some salmon travel as far as 1400 km to reach where they spawn.
All the dead, decaying, and half eaten salmon seem a little gruesome (and smelly!) but it's a natural cycle that has many side benefits. The dead salmon are eaten by wildlife and end up bringing nutrients from the ocean to the forest.
At first I thought all the salmon were dead, but then I realized there were quite a few still alive and swimming in the river.
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