Salmon PSA
by Griffin Ward
Role of Salmon in the Ecosystem
Salmon is the common name for seven species of salmon. Salmon is a very common kind of fish we humans eat. Salmon also play an important roll in the ecosystem. Salmon give back nutrients for other living things. Salmon put nutrients in the water by just being there. They also provide nutrients for predators like bears, eagles, and other hawks.
Why are Salmon Endangered?
Salmon are endangered due to what humans do to them. We are overfishing them, causing there to be less salmon. We are also raising salmon in hatcheries, which are in other words fish farms. These hatcheries are bad because they teach salmon bad habits like eating on top of the water. Hatchery born salmon also don't really know the place they were born, and that effects their lifecycle. Another main factor that make salmon endangered is dams. Dams block off access to some salmon's breeding grounds. Overall, this is becoming a problem because salmon effects the entire ecosystem and if they go extinct more problems will occur.
Solution for Salmon Recovery
There are a few possible things we can do to help salmon. One of the things we can do is destroy dams that block off important breeding ground for salmon. If we destroy these dams salmon will be able to get to their homes again and lay their eggs. Another reason is to stop hatcheries. Hatcheries may produce more salmon, but it actually makes the salmon live shorter. Overall, salmon need to come back from their deficit and everyone can be a part of it.