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#3 ....................... A Publication Of SchoolNet Global
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The Collapse of the Pacific Salmon Industry - French
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French version by Shika C
Comment est-ce que la chute de la Pecherie de Saumon Pacifique (Pacific Salmon Industry) est-elle reliee avec des activites humaines?
Nous pechons si fort ces jours que les reserves de saumon se faiblissent et quelques fois, meme les populations entieres de saumon disparaissent. Nous avons pousse les saumons et beaucoup d'autres especes de l'ocean a la bordiere de l'extinction par pecher trop, creer de la pollution dans leur environnement et detruire leur(s) habitat(s). L'industrie forestiere, les actions des vaches et la construction des barrages peuvent aussi causer les saumons a souffrir par la perte de leurs habitats de l'eau douce. Les habitats de l'eau douce non-deranges sont essentiels a la survivance d'un saumon.
Les saumons sont aussi des consommateurs et alors dependent des autres poissons comme leur nourriture. Si la chaine alimentaire est derangee par une fa?on ou une autre par les activites humaines, comme pecher trop, les saumons auront une plus petite chance a survivre et doivent chercher d'autre nourriture. Quand les saumons sont peches trop, par exemple quand ils retournent pour frayer, cela detruit la balance de l'ecosysteme, qui le rend plus difficile pour les saumons a 'rester en existence'. Il y a aussi beaucoup de saumon des fermes and quelques fois, ils peuvent contenir des maladies dangereuses et les pesticides qui sont mauvaises pour l'environnement et ils peuvent mettre en danger les autres saumons et d'autres especes marines.
Pendant la saison de frayer, les saumons ont besoin des lits de gravier (au fond d'une riviere) tres lisses pour leurs oeufs. Les lits de gravier peuvent etre detruit par la pollution des activites humaines, comme l'huile des voitures. Quelques fois, les lits de gravier peuvent etre ruine parce qu'il n'y a pas assez d'eau dans la riviere. L'industrie forestiere joue une partie importante dans la saison de frayer: elle peut detruire le lit de la riviere par toute l'erosion qu'elle cree. La pluie fortes peut aussi causer le lit de la riviere a devenir inegale. A l'addition de tout les autres dangers, quelques villes laissent les vidanges des egouts souterrains a couler dans la riviere. Degoutant!
Qu'est-ce qu'on peut faire pour ameliorer cette situation?
Il y a beaucoup de choses qu'on peut faire pour aider les saumons, meme si c'est grande ou petite. Premierement, on peut arreter l'expansion des fermes de saumon (par demander a un politicien local). Deuxiemement, s'il-vous-plait, ne mangez pas le saumon des fermes! Pourquoi? Les saumons qui viennent des fermes (de saumon) s'agrandissent dans les cages de filet flottantes qui peuvent affecter les saumons sauvages et d'autres especes marines par propager les maladies et les parasites. Les saumons des fermes sont aussi donnes des antibiotiques et les pesticides qui peuvent polluer l'environnement marine.
Les scientifiques ont decouvert que les saumons des fermes sont donnes le dioxine dans leur nourriture. La plupart des saumons des fermes de la Colombie-Britannique sont des reserves Atlantiques. Les environnementalistes disent que l'introduction des especes importÎes ou 'exotiques' peuvent etre un danger a des ecosystemes locaux. Il y avait aussi quelques cas ou les saumons des fermes se sont echappes de leurs cages de filet et peuvent mettre en danger la sante des populations des saumons sauvages. Les saumons des fermes peuvent aussi displacer les reserves des saumons sauvages de leurs habitats. On peut aussi aider a proteger les habitats des saumons et assurer qu'ils ont une bonne environnement pour frayer.
On peut arreter et terminer la pollution de l'ecosysteme pres des endroits de frayer. On peut meme compter et controler le nombre de saumon, pour assurer qu'ils ne sont pas peches trop. Si les lits des rivieres ne sont pas propres pour frayer, on peut mettre les saumons dans des 'hatcheries'- des endroits artificiels pour les saumons a frayer et pour les oeufs. Alors prendre de l'action maintenant et peut-etre bientot le mot extincte sera extincte pour les saumons!
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The Collapse of the Pacific Salmon Industry - English
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Click above to go to this resource on Pacific Salmon
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English version by Shika C
How is the collapse of the Pacific Salmon Fishery related to human activities?
We are fishing so hard these days that stocks of salmon are weakening and sometimes even whole populations of salmon are disappearing. We have driven the salmon and many other ocean species to near extinction by overfishing, polluting their environment and destroying their habitat(s). Logging, cattle grazing and the construction of dams also cause the salmon to suffer from the loss of their fresh water habitat. Undisturbed freshwater habitats are essential for salmon survival. Salmon are also consumers and so depend on other fish as their food. If the food chain is disturbed somehow by human activities, such as overfishing, the salmon will have a smaller chance of surviving and must look for other food.
When salmon are overfished, for example when they return for spawning, it destroys the balance of the ecosystem, making it harder for the salmon to 'remain in existence'. There are also many farmed salmon and sometimes they contain dangerous diseases and pesticides that can harm the environment and can endanger wild salmon and other marine species. During the spawning season, salmon need smooth gravel beds (at the bottom of a river) for their eggs. The spawning beds can be destroyed by pollution from human activities, like the oil from cars. Sometimes the spawning beds can be ruined because there is not enough water in the river. Logging plays an important part in the spawning season: it can wreck the river bed because of all the erosion. Heavy rain can also cause the river bed to be unbalanced. In addition to the other dangers, some cities let the sewage from the city storm drains flow into the river. Yuck!
What can we do to improve this situation?
There are many things we can do to help the salmon, be it big or small. First of all, we can stop salmon farm expansion (by asking a local politician). Secondly, don't eat farmed salmon! Why? Farmed salmon are grown in floating netcages and can affect wild salmon and other marine species by spreading diseases and parasites. Farmed salmon are also given antibiotics and pesticides which can pollute the marine environment. Scientists have discovered that farmed salmon are fed dioxin in their fishmeal. The farmed British Columbian salmon are mostly from Atlantic stocks. Environmentalists say that the introduction of imported or 'exotic' species can be harmful to local ecosystems. There have been some cases where the farmed salmon have escaped their net cages and can endanger the health of wild fish populations.
Farmed salmon can also displace fragile wild stocks of salmon from their habitat. We can also work to help protect salmon habitat and make sure that they have a good environment while spawning. We can end the pollution of ecosystem near spawning grounds. We can even monitor the number of salmon, as to ensure that they are not overfished. If the river beds are not clean and safe, we can put the salmon in (salmon) hatcheries- artificial breeding grounds for the salmon to spawn and hatch their eggs. So take action now and maybe soon the word extinct will be extinct for the salmon!
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Disappearing Salmon
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by Amanda W
The Salmon of the North American West Coast have supported an industry for many years but, now their numbers are dwindling.
There are five types of salmon: Pink, Sockeye, Spring/King, Coho and Chinook. There is also a type of sea run trout called Steelhead which are considered salmon. Salmon are the only fish in the world that are anadromous which means that they're born in fresh water (rivers) and they live in salt water (oceans) and they return to fresh water to spawn.
People don't realize that salmon are very delicate. A change of 1 degree in water temperature can kill millions of fish. Imagine what pollution can do! Just last year, five million pink salmon disappeared en route to their spawning grounds. Officials have not yet determined the cause. The fish could have caught a disease from fish farms on the coast or it could be something else entirely.
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Hatcherys - A Solution? or Another Problem?
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by Landon T
There have been many human attempts to help the salmon population; one area of intervention has been related to salmon hatcheries. The goal of this intervention has been to increase salmon stocks by introducing hatchery-bred fry.
Coho salmon in Oregon's Nehalem River showed resistance to a particular parasite. Young hatchery Coho from another river where the parasite doesn't exist were released into the Nehalem for many years. When the adults were collected in later years, their offspring were less resistant to the parasite than the original wild fish.
Research proves that hatchery and wild fish breeding has reduced the population's resistance to the parasite. Therefore, releasing hatchery fish into native populations has had a negative effect instead of a positive one. In this example, man has tried to solve a salmon problem and may have caused a bigger one.
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Declining Salmon
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by Rose J
Some of the reasons why salmon numbers in the Pacific Northwest are declining are because of habitat destruction due to logging, construction, agriculture, and dams, and destruction and blockage of migratory routes by hydroelectric dams. Good spawning grounds are made up of deep gravel and clean, cold, well-oxygenated water. Because of clear cutting, fires, grazing, and road construction, nests are becoming more vulnerable to being smothered or freezing when water levels are low. Water temperatures are rising because of power plants and dams. Clear cutting and a lack of streamside vegetation can also help the temperature of the water rise because of the lack of shade. Increased temperatures lower salmons? resistance to disease. Pollution from agricultural, urban, and industrial sources lowers the level of oxygen in the water, making it hard for salmon to breathe, killing young salmon and weakening older ones.
Pollution also reduces the available food. Dams can be dangerous as many salmon are injured or killed going through turbines or over spillways. Poorly constructed dams or rockslides can block adult migration. Another reason salmon populations are declining is because of salmon farming. Farmed salmon have greatly reduced the price of wild salmon, forcing fishermen to increase their catch in order to make a living. Wild salmon not only taste better, but also contain 200% less fat than farmed salmon, and are a lot healthier than farmed salmon. Farmed salmon contribute to water pollution and can unbalance the ecosystem if they escape. Salmon populations have declined as a result of over-fishing- there is now no limit to the number of net-cage farms and foating feedlots on the BC coast.
To improve this situation, we might stop or limit fishing for sport, and not allow fishing during migration. No boats over 45 feet in length should be used, and net size and length should be smaller to make selection catch and release survival higher. We should encourage traditional fishing methods, not eat farmed salmon, and discontinue salmon farming.
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Save The Salmon
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English and French text by Meghan R
There are many reasons behind the decreasing amount of salmon. One of the main reasons is pollution. The over-use of cars and the burning of fossil fuels causes an enormous amount of pollution. With deforestation, there are not as many trees to convert carbon dioxide to oxygen. The pollution and extra carbon dioxide causes the atmosphere to slowly diminish. With a damaged atmosphere, the climate has changed considerably which affects the level of temperature, the amount of precipitation and the water level. As global warming occurs, salmon struggle to survive. The factors needed to create the food salmon eat are suffering from the warming and mixture of different water (fresh and salt), therefore the salmon are dying as a result of lack of food. Oil spills and garbage and sewage disposal contaminates salmon habitats and kills them.
Hydroelectric dams are large contributors to the collapse of salmon. They block rivers which are also migration routes for salmon as they make their way to spawn. If they are blocked by dams, the salmon cannot make their way upstream to their spawning areas and therefore donÕt spawn. The less fertilized eggs there are, the less salmon. We have over fished salmon. We have made them start to disappear. Fish farming may not appear to affect wild salmon, but it does. If a farmed salmon spawns with a wild salmon, it could weaken the salmon gene pool. Also, it can aid the spread of disease and diminish the salmonÕs food supply. Forest and vegetation supply shade, the correct temperature, shelter and protection for salmon. It creates a clean and healthy habitat and spawning area. Without forests and vegetation, the salmon suffer tremendously. Deforestation also causes water pollution.
One way that we can help save the salmon is by creating public awareness. We should inform our political representatives and encourage them to help make some changes. People should try to use public transportation as much as possible. We should try to walk and bike as well. One major step that we should take is to stop cutting down trees unless absolutely necessary. Planting trees can also help a lot. We should reduce the risks of oil spills and find a clean way to dispose of garbage and sewage. As hydroelectricity does not pollute, it will probably be one of our main future energy sources, therefore, we cannot simply get rid of the hydro-electric dams. We could, however, create a path for the salmon to cross through. This has already started to happen. We should not mess with mother nature. We should either stop fish farming, or be sure that no fish escapes from the farm as the result can be horrendous. We need to put more fishing restrictions for salmon. To help with the over fishing problem, we could start with area, size or type. Let us save the salmon!
Il y a plusieurs raisons pour la disparition des saumons. Une des raisons la plus majeur est la pollution. Les voitures que nous utilisons trop et les combustibles fossiles que nous brÏlons trop causent beaucoup de pollution. Avec le deboisement, il n'y a pas autant d'arbres pour convertir le gaz carbonique en oxygene. La pollution et le gaz carbonique extra endommagent l'atmosphere. Avec une atmosphere endommage, le climat change beaucoup. Cela affect la temperature, le niveau de precipitation et le niveau de l'eau. Avec le rechauffement global, les saumons luttent pour la survivance. Les facteurs necessaires pour creer la nourriture des saumons souffre e cause du rechauffement et de la melange des eaux differents; doux et salee. Comme resultat, les saumons meurent de famine. Les ecoulements d'huile et les dispositions de tripaille et d'eaux-vannes contaminent les habitats naturels des saumons et les tues.
Les barrages hydro-electriques jouent un grand role dans la chute des saumons. Ils bloquent les rivieres qui sont aussi les routes des migration des saumons sur leur voyage pour frayer. Si les saumons sont bloques par les barrages, ils ne pourront pas voyager en amont pour frayer. Le moins d'oeufs fertiles de saumons, le moins de saumons. On a cause la disparition de saumons par plusieurs methodes, mais celle la plus grande est probablement par pecher trop. Les fermes de poissons, affect beaucoup la population des saumons. Si un saumon d'une ferme fraye avec un saumon sauvage, cela pourrait affaiblir le genome des saumons. Cela pourrait aussi deployer des epidemies et diminuer la source de nourriture des saumons. Les forets et la vegetation donnent de l'ombre, la temperature correcte, la protection et le refuge aux saumons. Elles creent des habitats et des lieux pour frayer nettes et sains. Sans les forets et la vegetation, les saumons souffrent beaucoup. Le deboisement cause aussi de la pollution de l'eau
Une facon qu'on pourrait sauve les saumons est d'informer la publique. On devrait aussi informer nos representants politiques et les encourages de faire des changements. On devrait essayer d'utiliser la transportation publique autant que possible, sinon, on devrait marcher ou aller a bicyclette. Un pas majeur qu'on devrait prendre est d'arreter le deboisement des forets. On devrait planter les arbres et ne pas les coupes si ce n'est pas necessaire. On devrait reduire les risques d'ecoulements d'huile. On devrait trouver une maniere nette pour se debarrasser de nos dechets, tripailles et eaux-vannes. L'hydro-electricite de pollue pas, alors elle sera probablement une de nos sources de l'avenir. C'est inevitable; des barrages d'hydro-electricite vont etre construites, alors on devrait cree une route alternatif pour que les saumons peuvent passes.
Des routes alternatives sont deja utilises dans quelques barrages hydro-electriques. On ne devrait pas deranger et changer la nature. On devrait la laisser comme elle est. On devrait arreter les fermes de poissons ou etre certain qu'aucun saumon s'echappent car le resultat sera horrible. On devrait mettre plus de restrictions sur la peche des saumons. Pour aider cette probleme de saumon, on pourrait commencer avec les lieux, les grandeurs et les types. Sauvons les saumons!
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