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teacher: Alfonso Gonzalez

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Salmon stages by hunter.

The life cycle of the wild salmon begins with the female salmon digging out a shallow redd,or nest,in the gravel in the river bottom.

The eggs that are laid in the fall hatch the next spring.the small larval fish,about one inch in length,are called alevin,and still have a yolk sac attached.The threats are horseback riders, fishermen, loggers, livestock, wild animals, or just the casual hiker can all accidentally destroy salmon redds without even realizing it. Gulls, dippers, sculpins, and trout all feed upon salmon eggs and young alevin.

The young salmon fry begin to move in schools and feed in the river.they mainly on zooplankton until they grow large enough to eat aquatic insects and other larger foods.the need is cool, clear, water holds lots of oxygen which the salmon also need.the danger is as the vulnerable fry grow, they will start to develop spots and vertical parr marks on their sides. These markings help camouflage them from predators such as mergansers, and great blue herons. Unlike most fry, pink salmon fry do not develop these parr marks.

By the time the salmon reach the estuaries,they have silver sides,bright bluish green backs,and are called smolt. The danger is hydraulic dams and pollution from farms, factories, and cities, the needs are clean water for oxygen and tall trees to shade parts of the stream.

During their stay in the sea,the salmon travel hundreds,or even thousand,of miles searching for food and trying to stay out of the mouths of predators.their needs are shrimp, and squid, to eat.

Once the salmon start upstream toward the spawning grounds,they do not feed but service energy from stored fats.the dangers are bear, coon, and sport fishermen.the needs are less water pollution less bears and less coons and loose gravel.

The salmon that make it back to their home streams to spawn have beaten amazing odds.on average, out of every 1,000 eggs laid
One survives to return and spawn.The dangers are diving birds king fishers and bears. The needs are loose gravel cool clean oxygenated water.

Article posted November 21, 2011 at 10:30 AM • comment (5) • Reads 2612 • see all articles

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