Salmon Dinner Becoming a Rarity?

Like trout being in danger from the rising temperatures of the earth, salmon may be in danger as well. Salmon is a cold-water species and are very sensitive to stream temperature. An environmentalist group from Washington says that the cold-water habitat required by these species could shrink by more than 40 percent over the next century if steps are not taken to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Defenders of Wildlife and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) suggest that habitats for both trout and salmon could shrink as much as 17 percent by 2030. "Rising temperatures are increasingly going to curtail the range of trout and salmon in the U.S. That means more and more of our favorite fishing holes will come up empty," said Dr. Daniel Lashof, science director of the NRDC climate center. "The reason is pollution from cars and power plants. Fortunately, there are measures we can take now to start solving the problem." If we do not change what and how much we are putting into the environment, things will only get worse. If emissions continue to increase at current rates, the coho salmon habitat could shrink by 23 to 41 percent by 2090. Different regions and different species of salmon will be affected more and less than others, but a continued trend in climate change will affect all salmon. The high demand for salmon is already something that has taken on the toll of the populations, but the added affect of climate change may be too much. "Wild trout and salmon populations are already stressed by factors such as loss of habitat to development, competition with hatchery fish, invasive exotic species, and more. Now we must add climate change to the list of challenges they face," said Mark Shaffer, senior vice president for programs at Defenders of Wildlife. "If we don't address the cumulative impact of all these factors, we will see more of these populations switching from a recreational resource to being listed as threatened or endangered." This is just another example of one of the costly effects global warming seems to have on our world. Salmon not only provides a fun recreational sport, but it also a very important source of food. Predictions show that if serious action is not taken in accordance to the effects of climate change, the streams will continue to warm, and the joys of salmon will be lost. 

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/may2002/2002-05-22-06.asp

images

coho salmon