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Salmon eggs develop in classroom aquarium

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These salmon eggs are developing in our classroom aquarium as part of the Salmonids in the Classroom program. Our tank is on loan from Fish and Wildlife, and is inside a converted beverage cooler. Works pretty great. Eggs are moving occasionally either because of water movement or development inside.

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11:30 - 11:35 Welcome to the park/nature house and acknowledge the traditional lands of the local First Nations (Lekwungen Nation, W̱SÁNEĆ Nation, Songhees Nation, T'Sou-ke Nation, Malahat Nation, and Esquimalt Nation) 11:35 - 12:00 Briefly introduce the different life cycles of salmon: ...

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senćoŧen firstvoices first voices aboriginal language archive language teaching culture revitalization games first peoples cultural foundation fpcf fphlc

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FirstVoices: SENĆOŦENStory - TŦE SĆELÁNEṈ EṮ W̱SÁNEĆ

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FirstVoices is a suite of web-based tools and services designed to support Aboriginal people engaged in language archiving, language teaching and culture revitalization. The FirstVoices Language Archive contains thousands of text entries in many diverse Aboriginal writing systems, enhanced with sounds, pictures and videos.

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The salmon plays a vital part in First Nations diet and mythology and we can learn something valuable from the life cycle of the salmon. Find out what lessons the salmon teaches us and more in this, the latest episode in our Meet a Local Legend series.

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first peoples' heritage language and culture council

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Read reviews, compare customer ratings, see screenshots and learn more about SENCOTEN. Download SENCOTEN and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

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At Salmon Camp in Alaska's Bristol Bay, young people gather to learn salmon science and make art. In this video, learn how to make a salmon print with The Nature Conservancy. Alaska's Bristol Bay produces more wild salmon than anywhere else on Earth. Learn more about Bristol Bay salmon at nature.org/bristolbay.

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Grade 2 curriculum focuses on the life cycles, while grade 3 looks at restoration and more complex topics

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Place is any environment, locality, or context with which people interact to learn, create memory, reflect on history, connect with culture, and establish identity. The connection between people and place is foundational to First Peoples perspectives of the world.

Key questions about place:

What is place?

What are some ways in which people experience place?

How can you gain a sense of place in your local environment?

How can you share your observations and ideas about living things in your local environment to help someone else learn about place?

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Place is any environment, locality, or context with which people interact to learn, create memory, reflect on history, connect with culture, and establish identity. The connection between people and place is foundational to First Peoples perspectives of the world. Key questions about place: What is place?

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Irish salmon are Atlantic salmon and spend their juvenile phase in rivers before migrating to sea to grow and mature. To complete their life cycle they must return to their river of origin to spawn. The salmon who adopt this life cycle are called anadromous.

Life begins

The salmon starts life as a small pea sized egg hidden away under loose gravel in cool clean rivers entering the North Atlantic Ocean. Against the odds the parents of this little egg have succeeded in returning to freshwater to spawn completing their life cycle before giving rise to a new generation. To do this both male and female adults ceased to feed on entering freshwater in response to gonadal development, directing all their energy instead to reproduction. The migration of adults in winter to suitable habitat can commence up to a year before spawning takes place. Spawning typically occurs in headwaters, though it may happen anywhere in a river if a suitable substrate of well oxygenated loose gravel is available. At spawning time (November to January), the female digs a depression in the gravel with her tail to deposit her eggs. One or more males discharge milt over the falling eggs to fertilize. Quickly the female covers the eggs with gravel to a depth of several centimetres which forms a nest or "redd" on the riverbed. Buried deep inside the gravel the ova are safe from the impact of debris carried along in heavy floods and from attack by predators such as eels ( Anguilla anguilla), trout ( Salmo trutta) or cormorants ( Phalacrocorax carbo).

Ova

The rate of egg or "ova" development is dependent on water temperature. Eyes inside the pea sized orange ova are visible and increasing movement can be detected as the yolk sac containing food is consumed. The number of ova deposited in the redd is determined by the size of the female with larger females over 10kg depositing 15,000 each. This high fecundity (ova per female) is critical as survival in the wild is extremely low, especially in freshwater. For example, in the Burrishoole River on the west coast of Ireland survival rates for juveniles from 1970 to 2018 was less than 1%.

Alevins

The just-hatched fish are called "alevins" and still have the yolk sac attached to their bodies in Spring. When their yolk sac is absorbed the alevins become increasingly active and begin their journey up through the gravel of the riverbed. When strong enough the small fish must rise to the surface of the water and gulp air. By doing this they fill their swim bladder to gain neutral buoyancy making it easier to swim and hold their position in fast flowing streams. This critical period is therefore referred to as "swim-up" and exposes the young to dangerous predators for the first time. Once they begin to swim freely they are called fry.

Fry

The fry has eight fins, which are used to maintain their position in fast flowing streams and manoeuvre about in the water during the summer months. Fry feed on microscopic invertebrates and their abundance is regulated by temperature, predation, pollution and competition for food with other fry and other species of fish. The presence of salmon in a river is synonymous with a healthy aquatic environment, and as they are extremely sensitive to changes in water quality, habitat and climate, salmon are a good indicator of freshwater and marine ecosystem status.

Parr

Over the Autumn the fry develops into parr with vertical stripes and spots for camouflage. They feed on aquatic insects and continue to grow for one to three years while maintaining their territory in the stream. Once the parr have grown to between 10 and 25cm in body length, they undergo a physiological pre-adaptation to life in seawater by smolting. This is evident by changes in their appearance as they become silvery and swim with the current instead of against it. There are also internal changes in the salt-regulating mechanisms of the fish. This adaptation prepares the smolt for its journey to the ocean.

Smolt

In Spring, large numbers of smolts 1-3 years old, leave Irish rivers to migrate along the North Atlantic Drift, and into the rich feeding grounds of the Norwegian Sea and the greater expanse of the North Atlantic Ocean. Here they feed primarily on fish such as capelin (Mallotus villosus), herring (Alosa spp.), and sand eel (Ammodytes spp.). As they grow quickly fewer predators can feed on them. Their rate of growth is therefore critical to survival.

Adult Salmon

Salmon that reach maturity after one year at sea are called Grilse; these return to their river in summer weighing from 0.8 to 4kg. If it takes two or more years at sea to mature the salmon will return considerably earlier in the year and larger at 3 to 15kg, and because of their size they are greatly sought after by fishermen. Salmon exhibit remarkable "homing instinct" with a very high proportion able to locate their river of origin using the earth's magnetic field, the chemical smell of their river and pheromones (chemical substances released by other salmon in the river). Perfect homing precision is expected even after migrations over 3,000km to feeding grounds north of the Arctic Circle in the Norwegian Sea and at West Greenland. There is great excitement when adult salmon return to rivers as many are seen leaping acrobatically into the air and jumping over waterfalls while moving upstream. Salmon that survive fishermen, poachers and pollution may still have to scale large dams built across rivers before eventually finding refuge in lakes and deep pools. Arriving upstream on their spawning grounds among big boulders in icy headwaters the life cycle begins again, so ensuring survival of the species for another generation.

Kelts

Having spawned, the salmon are referred to as Kelts. Weak from not eating since arriving in freshwater and losing energy in a bid to reproduce successfully, Kelts are susceptible to disease and predators. Mortality after spawning can be significant, especially for males but some do survive and commence their epic journey again. Scientists studying salmon initially used the rings laid down on scales, much like tree rings, to determine the age and growth of salmon in freshwater and at sea. By doing this they established that some Kelts succeeded in spawning three times! Now a new record exists of an Irish salmon that reached maturity after less than one year at sea - a zero sea winter salmon. The salmon left the Bundorragha River in Co. Mayo on the 27/04/2007 as a 1-year-old smolt of 49g only to return from the sea on the 05/11/2007 at 810g.

Zero Sea Winter Salmon Scale

Scientists today have a greater array of techniques to study the complex life cycle of this important species. Tagging, tracking, use of DNA and Stable Isotope Analysis in association with habitat and climate change studies are ongoing in a bid to understand the factors that govern the survival of this species. The climate change canary of the North Atlantic moves easily from freshwater to roam the North Atlantic Ocean feeding constantly on migration while avoiding predators, then homes to their natal river, jumping over almost impassable falls to reach their exact place of birth. Surviving impossible odds makes salmon Salmo salar the "King of Fish".

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Irish salmon are Atlantic salmon and spend their juvenile phase in rivers before migrating to sea to grow and mature. To complete their life cycle they must return to their river of origin to spawn. The salmon who adopt this life cycle are called anadromous.

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Order: Salmoniformes

Family: Salmonidae

Subfamily: Salmoninae

Species: The major species of salmon that populate the Pacific Northwest include:
Chinook ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
Chum ( Oncorhynchus keta)
Coho ( Oncorhynchus kisutch)
Pink ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)
Sockeye ( Oncorhynchus nerka)
Steelhead ( Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Size and Weight: Size and weight varies depending on species. The length of a mature salmon can range from between 20 inches to almost 5 feet. Adult salmon can weigh anywhere between 3 lbs to over 100 lbs.

Diet: Young salmon feed on small aquatic insects and zooplankton. As salmon grow and mature, they feed on larger animals including shrimp, eels, and smaller fish. Unlike other species of Pacific salmon, zooplankton makes up the majority of the sockeye diet throughout their lifecycle.

Geography: Salmon are anadromous; meaning that they are born in fresh water, migrate to the seas where they spend most of their adult life, and then return to their home range of fresh water to spawn. Certain species, however, stay in their freshwater homes and are known as landlocked salmon. Salmon of the Pacific Northwest are based primarily in and around the Columbia River Basin before migrating out to the Pacific. (Other species of salmon can be found in the western Pacific Ocean in Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and Russia and off both coasts of the Atlantic Ocean.)

Reproduction: After spending one to five years at sea (depending on the species), sexually mature salmon return to fresh-waters to spawn. Accompanied by a male, the female uses her tail to create a depression in the riverbed, known as a redd. To fertilize the eggs, the male then deposits milt, or sperm. After the female covers the depression with gravel, she moves on to create a new redd. During the spawning period, one female may create up to seven separate redds and lay between 2500-7000 eggs.

Lifespan: Salmon live anywhere from 2-8 years, depending on the species. Spawning generally marks the end of the salmon's lifecycle, with most species dying within days or weeks of reproducing.

Threats: Man-made dams and reservoirs threaten salmon numbers in the wild by blocking their paths, creating obstacles for young salmon heading for the ocean and adult salmon returning to their spawning grounds. Overfishing, habitat loss, and a number of changing environmental conditions also continue to affect many salmon populations. For instance, rising river temperatures have been connected to an increase in marine illnesses that adversely affect salmon growth.
Additional Facts:

In addition to Oncorhynchus genus, the Salmoninae subfamily also includes the Brachymystax, Hucho, Salmo, Salvelinus, Salvethymus, and Acantholingua genera.

The genus, Oncorhynchus, derives from the Greek words, onkos (hook) and rynchos (nose), describing the hooked jaws prevalent in many species of sexually mature male salmon.

Steelhead were grouped with trout until the 1990s, when they were reclassified in the Oncorhynchus genus with salmon.

Salmon stop eating once they head toward their respective spawning grounds. They rely solely on fat reserves for energy.

Salmon can jump up to 6.5 feet (2 meters), a skill that helps them in their upstream swim to their spawning grounds.

It is not until sexually mature salmon return to fresh waters that the different species develop drastically different physical appearances. Males often have brighter coloring than the females. Depending on species, many males also develop humps and hooked jaws, known as kypes.

Scientists believe that salmon rely heavily on their olfactory senses to find their way to their spawning ground.

Chinooks travel further to spawn than other salmon. A Chinook salmon tagged in the Aleutian Islands and recovered in Salmon River, Idaho was determined to have traveled 3,500 miles to spawn. Chinook salmon are also the largest of the species - the record is 126 lbs., though most weigh about 30 lbs.

Pinks are the smallest of Pacific salmon with an average weight of 3.5 to 4 lbs.

About 75% of the salmon we consume in the United States is farmed salmon.

Kunimasu salmon, believed to have been extinct since the 1940s, were recently found in a Japanese lake near Mount Fuji in December 2010.

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Salmon: Running the Gauntlet | Salmon Fact Sheet | Nature | PBS

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Order: Salmoniformes Family: Salmonidae Subfamily: Salmoninae Species: The major species of salmon that populate the Pacific Northwest include: Chinook ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Chum ( Oncorhynchus keta) Coho ( Oncorhynchus kisutch) Pink ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) Sockeye ( Oncorhynchus nerka) Steelhead ( Oncorhynchus mykiss) Size and Weight: Size and weight varies depending on species.

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The Iron Curtain was an 8,000-mile border separating East from West during the Cold War. Something unexpected evolved in the "no man's land" that the massive border created. In the absence of human intervention and disruption, an accidental wildlife refuge formed.

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George Armstrong has lived on the Gorge for 16 years, but he's never seen the coho salmon jumping like they have in the past few weeks. From his patio overlooking the water's edge near Tillicum Road and Gorge Road, Armstrong began seeing signs of life around 2011.

"That year, we saw two small fish jumping. I'd never seen a small fish [there] before. The next year, we saw probably 100 small fish jumping. Last year, maybe 1,000. And this year, I'm sure it's easily 10,000."

The numbers are anecdotal, but reports of lively jacks - smaller male salmon that mature and spawn a year earlier than the typical three-year cycle - are common, said Colquitz River steward Dorothy Chambers. She and others believe several factors, including watershed cleanup and education, have contributed to the rise in coho counts in recent years.

Salmon journey from the ocean to the streams where they were born in order to spawn. For these coho, it means waiting in Portage Inlet until there's enough rain to make the Craigflower and Colquitz creeks strong and cloudy. "They want the water to be higher and turbid, which helps them hide from predators. Once that happens, they'll head up either one of the two streams," Chambers said.

Chambers has been counting coho on the Colquitz since 2000. In the first year, the average number was 200 to 400. For the last four years, the numbers have averaged between 300 and 500, with a spike to 1,400 last year. At the same time, numbers dipped in the Craigflower.

This year's run started Oct. 22, she said, and by Tuesday afternoon, volunteers had counted 280 coho on the Colquitz. On the Craigflower, the number was higher than 700. "It feels like it will be a good year," Chambers said.

Jody Watson, a harbours and watersheds co-ordinator for the Capital Regional District, believes education has been key. Teaching residents of the 5,000-hectare watershed how to prevent contaminants from entering the water has improved the streams' health, while cleanup efforts on the Gorge have aided the return of eel grass, a natural habitat for some of the salmon's food sources - in addition to providing cover for young fish on their way back to the ocean. "The Gorge used to be a bit of a sewer, it was so polluted," she said. "Over about the last 20 years, there's been a significant amount of work done to improve the quality of water and habitat both in Portage Inlet and the Gorge, as well as the creeks."

Ocean survival rates - high in recent years - also affect the strength of the run, said Chris Bos, president of the Colquitz Salmon Stewardship and Education Society. Enhanced flow on Craigflower Creek thanks to the CRD's water-release techniques played a role, too, according to Bruce Bevan of the Esquimalt Anglers. To improve flow, a valve is opened at a dam at Thetis Lake.

Stewards have been counting the fish since the 1970s. Before the water release, the creek had a tendency to dry up, killing many fish fry. Even a trickle helps keep the creek alive, Bevan said. "Now that we've got water in the creek, we have much better survival."

About 20 years ago, 50 to 250 fish would have been counted in Craigflower Creek, he said. On Thursday, after heavy rainfall, 570 were counted in a single day.

However, spikes can be an indication of problems elsewhere, Bevan said. In 2012, stewards at Craigflower Creek counted 1,300 fish - likely because salmon were avoiding an oil spill on the Colquitz.

"That was a bit of an anomaly. But we expect the numbers to start being in the thousands from now on, because of the water in the creek," Bevan said. "It's a bit of a success story, as far as salmon enhancement goes."

asmart@timescolonist.com

© Copyright Times Colonist

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Colquitz Salmon Stewardship and Education Society

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Coho salmon return to Victoria's cleaned-up Gorge waterway

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George Armstrong has lived on the Gorge for 16 years, but he's never seen the coho salmon jumping like they have in the past few weeks. From his patio overlooking the water's edge near Tillicum Road and Gorge Road, Armstrong began seeing signs of life around 2011.

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Millions of Salmon Return Home | National Geographic