All we do now to save salmon could mean nothing

[IndianaGreen]

All we do now to save salmon could mean nothing

By Rocky Barker | Idaho Statesman

BOISE, Idaho -- The Pacific Northwest has spent two decades retooling dams, rebuilding damaged watersheds and restoring stream flows to keep salmon from disappearing.

The United States has invested billions in the effort - $350 million in 2004 alone - by far the most money spent on any endangered species.

But a new threat is more devastating than the gill nets that sent dozens of salmon runs into extinction. It is more deadly than the hydroelectric turbines that still kill millions of migrating smolts. In fact, it raises doubts about whether salmon will survive in the Northern Pacific at all.

Climate change already has made rivers warmer and spring runoff earlier, disrupting the life cycle of the fish that are an icon of the region.

No matter what actions the world takes to reduce greenhouse gases, river temperatures in more than half of the lower-elevation watersheds may exceed 70 degrees by 2040 - too hot for salmon.

"The only salmon that are going to survive the century mark are the ones in the large populations in the higher elevations that are still going to have snow and cold water," said Jim Martin, a former chief of fisheries for the state of Oregon.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/67402.html

[KT2000]

1. Extinction then.

What a tragedy.
We are all circling the drain.

[jwirr]

2. I may be wrong but the salmon that was imported to our northern

MN rivers are not doing so well either.

[uppityperson]

3. What type salmon did you get?

I'm not sure what would live only in rivers, or does it get to salt water also?

[jwirr]

4. I think they imported two kinds and they have easy access to Lake

Superior but that is not salt water.

[uppityperson]

7. That is interesting.

Doing a quick look and turns out there are a few types that do live in fresh water, but they aren't common. Most salmon need access to both fresh and salt, depending on time in their life.

[pscot]

11. I thought they were Coho

aka silvers. There are populations of landlocked coho here in Washington. They're known as kokanee.

[jwirr]

12. Yes, that is what I was saying were 2 - didn't realize they were the same. nt

[jpak]

5. and the Atlantic Salmon ain't doin' so good either...

:(

[MADem]

6. Time for cloning. nt

[stray cat]

8. Salmon elimination is being aided by a parasites

http://troutunderground.com/2008/06/17/alaskan-salmon-falling-prey-to-parasite-state-fisheries-official-couldnt-care-less/

Alaskan Salmon Falling Prey to Parasite:

A tiny parasite is infecting Alaskan salmon (as if salmon needed any more swift kicks to the groin) and endangering the commercial viability of even healthy runs. In this case, the Ichthyophonus hoferi (pronounced “ick”) parasite - which has been linked to global warming - weakens fish and renders the flesh largely inedible:

The emergence of disease in Alaska’s most prized salmon has come as a shock to fishermen and fisheries managers. Alaskan wild salmon has been an uncommon success story among over-exploited fisheries, with healthy runs and robust catches that fetch ever higher prices at fish markets and high-end restaurants in Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo and London.

Fishermen and regulators who have cooperated to save species from overfishing and local environmental hazards have been caught unprepared to deal with forces beyond their control: how to manage a fishery for climate change.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3323107/Warning-over-salmon-parasite-that-can-be-fatal.html

Wild salmon: The herring worm parasite can be fatal if consumed by humans
Wild salmon caught in Britain are carrying increased amounts of a parasite dangerous to humans, the Food Standards Agency has warned.

Wild salmon hit by parasite from fish farms
'No salmon farms near wild salmon'
The Agency has issued safety guidelines to people who eat their own catch or sell it locally after increased levels of the parasite, anisakis simplex, known in the United States as herring worm, were found.

[jwirr]

9. Can they be farmed as a food source? This is not just a lose to nature

but also contributes to food scarcities.

[pscot]

10. Farmed salmon live in pens

on top of their own waste. They're fed lots of anti-biotics and spread disease to wild fish populations. The quality of the flesh isn't that great either. It tends to be soft and slightly watery.

[jwirr]

13. Okay, I have lost my appetite.