Salmon in Bowker Creek

Salmon runs provide the flow of activity in otherwise slow moving bodies of water. The ecosystem and other organisms surrounding salmon runs thrive off of the marine nutrience that gets brought through the ocean into the streams and back again. Salmon also fertilize the ecosystem surrounding and hold a vital role in most food webs.

  They’re has always been an abundant source of salmon in the world but the population has steadily decreased since the industrial revolution. In Fact Before water pollution became a major problem salmon were a cheap and easy source of food. After the Industrial revolution, many rivers, streams and creeks became extremely polluted from the run of from the factories. There are many ways water pollution effects Salmon, some of the major ways are when nutrients wash into waterways through storm runoff, they drain oxygen in the water that the  fish need to survive. Nitrogen and phosphorus typically enter streams, lakes and creeks  from pesticides from fertiliser, pet waste, e.t.cs. Gradually  these nutrients build up in water and promote and further algae and the growth of plants. When the plants start to decompose it lowers the oxygen levels in the water creating algal blooms.  Algal blooms are harmful because as they feed among the algae, they create toxins within the waters that the fish swim in, increasing extremely higher toxin .Pesticides and heavy metals that enter waterways can also harm or kill fish. Synthetic pesticides used for weed and bug control are toxic in even small amounts. Heavy metals created when fossil fuels are burned enter the atmosphere, eventually making their way into bodies of water. Exposure to heavy metals can impair a fishes ability to smell, disrupting its ability to locate food and protect itself from predatory animals and fish.  

Because of Bowker Creeks natural habitat. Bowker creek runs into the ocean making it easy for the salmon to run down the creek. It also is a mix of freshwater and saltwater making it the perfect water quality, unfortunately Bowker creek is not hosting salmon at the moment.  Pic Credits: https:https://shuswaptourism.ca/do/arts-culture/festivals-special-events/adams-river-salmon-run-listing

It would be an interesting experiment if we raised salmon in our classroom and released them into Bowker Creek to see if they could withstand the creek ecosystem. There are stickle back fish that can survive in the creek ecosystem could the fry (baby salmon) survive in Bowker Creek?

A salmon's diet mostly consists of plankton, other fish, insects, shrimp and squid. It depends on where the salmon is (fresh water or salt water) and what is available as prey.

The salmon life cycle starts when a female salmon's eggs are fertilized. The eggs hatch in fresh water and when strong enough start to migrate up stream and eventually reach the ocean. They stay in saltwater until its time for them to migrate back to the fresh water streams they were originally hatched in. Once in the fresh water they spawn and die. The cycle continues.

Salmon have lots of predators; in fresh water streams their main predators are other fish, birds and even other salmon. They can easily be eaten when they are fry (just after being hatched). When they reach the ocean they have larger predators to be aware of like whales, seals, orcas, other fish and their largest predator humans.

There where two main types of salmon that ran through Bowker Creek when it was a salmon run; Chum Salmon and Coho salmon. Chum salmon and Coho salmon are both part of the anadromous salmon family and hatch in fresh water streams. Though once hatched they move out towards saltwater oceans to feed and don't usually stay in freshwater for very long but return to spawn.

Bowker creek has changed a lot in the past few years when it was recently renovated. When salmon inhabited the creek it was a natural self running stream and now it has changed into more of a man made creek. Another reason salmon no longer run through the creek but there is also the matter of water pollution and quality , with Bowker Creek being a large watershed for street run off and precipitation.