Earth: the Water Planet Part 2 the Salmon

Salmon in the Ocean

The ocean is full of plants, animals, and food.

What do they do in the ocean WHAT DO THEY EAT? What do they do in the ocean They swim! They eat! And They eat!!!

What do salmon eat? Young salmon eat insects, invertebrates and plankton; adults eat other fish, squid, eel and shrimp.

How long do they stay in the ocean? Most chinook salmon stay in the ocean from 2 to 4 years. Some return as soon as 2 years and are called jacks. Some stay as long as 5-6 years. Recently a giant chinook was seen in the estuary by Ferndale. It was estimated to be 60 pounds. It is thought that this chinook spent a longer time in the ocean.

What are the dangers of the ocean?

Science at Work Each year, scientists do an estimate of how many salmon are in the Pacific ocean and where they are? Usually there are upwards of 1,000,000 salmon in the Pacific Ocean. This year the estimate is only 250,000 so the ocean above Shelter Cove was closed to fisherman.

The Return of the Salmon Salmon move from rivers to estuaries to the ocean and back. How do they know when to return? How do they find their way back?

The color of the salmon is ever changing.

You are what you eat Salmon flesh is red due to their diet. Salmon gain 99% or more of their body mass in the ocean and the food they eat in the ocean is high in carotenoids (the same pigment that gives carrots color). These pigments are stored in their flesh. As salmon approach their spawning grounds they begin to absorb their scales.

The Predator and the Prey

The Eagle

The Otter

The Bear

Salmon Face Many Obstacles For most salmon, there goal is to return to where they were born. This is their life cycle. For some they will not be able to find their way home and will mate and lay their eggs somewhere else. For some they will try a new path, and bring the salmon migration to a new place.

Salmon live and they die like all living things. This is the final part of the life cycle of the salmon. In the Van Duzen, we see chinook and coho. When the salmon dies, all the nutrients from living in the ocean, go directly into the river. As they die, they give life to the other living things in the river. INCREDIBLE Salmon live and they die like all living things.