Imagine swimming thousands of miles in the open water for years on end: Infinite blue. Feathered and finned predators ready to strike. Could you retrace your steps back to the exact spot where you started? Pacific salmon can. After spending much of their lives on an epic ocean journey, these hardy fish return to the streams where they were born to lay their eggs.

Each Pacific salmon starts its journey as a fragile egg, held safe by a cradle of rocks and stones. As winter's frigid temperatures fade, the salmon enter the world as tiny fish called alevins.¹ During the first few months of life, every alevin is sustained by a bright orange yolk sac attached to its belly. 

Once a salmon graduates from the alevin stage, it becomes a fry. (No, not like the fries at your favorite restaurant!) In the fry stage, a young salmon’s primary goal is to gather strength – they’ll need it for where they’re headed. Some species of salmon only spend a few months in the streams they were born in while others stay for years.²

For fish who have only ever lived in fresh water, transitioning to the ocean is a salty shock to the system. To help ease that shift, salmon go through a process called smolting, where their body and gills transform to tolerate saltwater. Smolts become more silver in color, which also makes it easier for them to thwart pesky predators like sharks, seabirds and seals.

Still smallish and silvery, the young adventurers are ready to leave home for the great Pacific Ocean. Five species of Pacific salmon swim through North American waters: Chinook, Coho, Chum, Sockeye, and Pink.³ 

A salmon will accumulate 99% of its adult weight while in the ocean, and they can log up to 34 miles – more than a marathon – every single day.²

Every salmon’s journey is different: Pink and Coho salmon spend about 18 months in the ocean, while the Chinook can spend a whopping 8 years.¹ Many salmon die from the physical demands of the journey, while others become dinner for an orca or a seabird. A victorious few, however, will make it to their homecoming.

The salmon’s journey ends where it began. Once home, the salmon mate, the females lay their eggs, and new life is on the horizon. In death, Pacific salmon give back. Many salmon decompose on the freshwater floor, their bodies providing critical nutrients for the next generation.¹ Some are tasty snacks for bears and eagles, whose populations directly depend on the salmon’s return.

As fall turns to winter and the stream shows that familiar sight of salmon eggs laid atop pebbles and stones, the end of one brave journey sets the stage for another that has only just begun.

Discussion questions
1) It’s crucial that salmon have clean rivers and oceans to live in. What are some ways we can help keep our waters clean for the salmon, both as individuals and as a community?

2) Salmon have to work very hard to complete their journey, staying determined for years in a row despite all the obstacles thrown at them. Can you think of a time when you worked hard for something challenging? What inspired you to keep trying when it felt like the odds were against you?

3) In this story, we learned that salmon can become snacks for sharks, seabirds, seals and even bears. What do you think would happen to these predator animals if there were fewer salmon for them to eat?

Sources
1: U.S. Department of the Interior. The Salmon Life Cycle. National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/olym/learn/nature/the-salmon-life cycle.htm#:~:text=The%20cycle%20begins%20in%20freshwater,eggs%20hatch%20and%20alevins%20emerge.

2: Species & lifecycle. Pacific Salmon Foundation. (2021, September 5). https://psf.ca/learn/species-lifecycle/

3: How many species of salmon are there and how large can they get?| U.S. Geological Survey. https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-many-species-salmon-are-there-and-how-large-can-they-get#:~:text=There%20are%20seven%20species%20of,one%20species%20of%20Atlantic%20salmon