Environmental Effects On Salmon

In the same way that humans catch diseases fish can too. Some diseases in this instance comparable to the black plague have had a terrible effect on the salmon population in specific regions. One of the most infamous diseases, the Ulcerative Dermal Necrosis, which is one that effected almost all the salmon in Scotland in the late 1970’s. In attempts to remove the parasite that was killing the fish, Scotland succumbed to loosing all the salmon in nearly over 20 Norwegian rivers. “The parasite, called Gyrodactylus salaris, infects the gills, fins and skin of a variety of freshwater fish and holds on to the salmon with tiny hooks (“Salmon in the Classroom”). Still unaware how the disease was cultivated but more than likely it was brought to Scotland …show more content…
Some direct biological impacts of the change in climate include physiological stress, increased depletion of energy, increased vulnerability and an increase in their exposure to disease (Rand). It has also been noted that without the proper environment to grow the heat has stunted their growth, for the young salmon that hang out at the sea’s surface where temperatures are higher there is little chance of longevity. While making there migration routes it has been noted that areas of particularly warm water have created a thermal barrier to migrating salmon that requires additional energy to navigate around. Such barriers can also delay or even prevent spawning from …show more content…
After the fish have made their migration to the sea very few have been returning. The limited amounts of fish that do make it back to the rivers are mysteriously dying before they have a chance to lay their eggs. The disappearing salmon are no small concern to the community. Without them they are losing the culture, way of life, and natural food resource they have been bestowed with for years. The Frasier was one of the largest salmon rivers in the world that filled the entire half of the British Columbia coastline and now the Salmon population is diminishing.
The mysterious decline of the salmon began in the early 1990’s. This decline was unsettling and was blamed on many things; maybe the water was to warm, the fish didn’t have anything to eat at sea, or perhaps it was overfishing. The department of fisheries and oceans or DFO is the agency responsible the overall well being of fish in Canada. The DFO took up this cause and, in attempt to make an impact in the declining populations, halted the commercial fishing of wild salmon. The absence of commercial fishing that made little to no impact on the dropping