Human Impact on Pacific Salmon
The pacific salmon can be found in the North Pacific waters of the U.S. and Canada. In Canada they are found off the coast of British Columbia. There are a
variety of different types of pacific salmon fish. These fish begin their lives in freshwater streams, lakes and rivers. When the pacific salmon is ready it will migrate to the sea as small fish. Here they make the transition from fresh to salt water and grow into adults. |
For the indigenous people of the pacific coast, the pacific salmon are a primary source of protein and a part of their culture. The pacific salmon is also part of the diet of many humans as well as animals such as bears. Unfortunately many human activities have caused a decrease in the population of the pacific salmon fish. Overfishing has led to a decrease in the number of salmon fish in the waters and blockages in rivers for the purpose of land development has interrupted the path that the salmon takes for migration. The pacific salmon population has decreased by 50% in the past 20 years because of the overfishing.
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Think about what affect this has on pacific salmon. How does overfishing and habitat destruction due to land development affect the pacific salmon? The overall population?