A new report released by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife indicates that 137 species depend on salmon as a significant part of their diet. The implication is that saving salmon is crucial to health of hundreds of species. This new research could spark major changes in fishery and hatchery management and the direction of salmon recovery efforts in the future. We need to start giving out the whole story of what made the ecosystem, it's an abundance of fish on the spawning grounds. It brings together 500 scientific studies and decades of research to document the vital role salmon play in the overall health of the ecosystem.
Pacific salmon are unique in that they die after they reproduce.
Yet, when salmon return from the ocean, they bring vital nutrients with them to the watershed. Through their decomposing carcasses, the salmon spawning process offers a vital source of food not just for salmon and other fish species, but for a whole host of organisms in the watershed. Earlier research had documented that salmon rely on the decomposing salmon carcasses as a major food source. National Marine Fisheries Service Biologist Robert Bilby found that 40 to 60 percent of the stomach contents of young salmon and steelhead could be traced to salmon carcasses. When salmon carcasses were placed in streams, young coho salmon increased in density compared to other sites.