Salmon are an iconic species that hold tremendous ecological, economic and cultural significance. As a keystone species salmon play a critical role in maintaining the health of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems along the Pacific coast of North America. Beyond supporting food webs and nutrient cycling, salmon are also a valuable economic resource that sustains commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries. For Indigenous communities, salmon are deeply intertwined with culture and spirituality. This article explores the multitude of reasons why salmon are such an important fish.
Ecological Significance
Salmon provide a vital source of marine-derived nutrients and energy to freshwater and terrestrial habitats. As anadromous fish, salmon hatch in small headwater streams, migrate to the ocean to feed and mature, and then return to their natal streams to spawn and die During spawning, salmon transport nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon from nutrient-rich marine environments to relatively nutrient-poor freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems The decomposition of salmon carcasses by bacteria, fungi, and invertebrates releases these nutrients, fertilizing streams and vegetation.
Research in Alaska found that spawning sockeye salmon can deliver up to 170 tons of phosphorus annually to lakes and increase lake productivity by 500-900%. The nutrients from dead adult salmon also get transferred to riparian forests by animals like bears eagles and gulls that drag carcasses into the forests to eat. Trees along salmon-bearing streams can have foliage with nitrogen levels 25% higher than trees along streams without salmon. This fertilization effect enhances plant growth, impacting species diversity and wildlife habitat. Overall, salmon act as a nutrient pump, supporting food webs in streams, lakes, riparian areas, and estuaries along their migratory routes.
In addition to nutrient cycling, salmon are a food source for over 137 species including seals, sea lions, whales, bears, eagles, otters, and other fish like trout and char. Young salmon are consumed by predators like birds and larger fish, while spawning salmon provide a feast for bears, bald eagles, and gulls. For some species, like the endangered southern resident killer whales, salmon can compose over 80% of their diet. Protecting wild salmon populations is therefore critical to maintaining healthy predator populations. As a keystone species, salmon exert disproportionate influence on their ecosystems relative to their abundance. Their presence has cascading effects on species distribution, diversity, and ecosystem function.
Economic Importance
Wild salmon fisheries have substantial economic value, especially for coastal communities. In Bristol Bay, Alaska, the commercial sockeye salmon fishery alone is valued at over $1.5 billion annually and provides some 14,000 jobs. West coast commercial salmon fisheries as a whole provide 50,000 jobs and generate $500 million in economic impacts. Recreational salmon fisheries stimulate tourism, tackle sales, and support charter boats. The availability of salmon creates employment opportunities for lodges, restaurants, processing facilities, hatcheries, and more. Indigenous communities also rely on salmon for subsistence, replacing the need to purchase equivalent protein.
Healthy wild salmon populations support commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries that form the foundation of many regional economies along the Pacific coast. When salmon decline, the jobs, income, and food security they provide are jeopardized. Investing in salmon recovery and habitat restoration supports economic resilience. The presence of wild salmon can also increase property values along coastal streams. Overall, salmon are an economically important natural resource.
Cultural Significance
Salmon hold deep cultural meaning for Indigenous peoples across the Pacific Northwest. Over centuries, unique customs, beliefs, and traditions have developed around salmon. Many tribes known as “Salmon People” relied heavily on the annual return of salmon. These fish were a staple food source, providing up to half the annual caloric intake of some communities. Indigenous groups developed specialized techniques and technologies like fish weirs, traps, and dip nets to harvest salmon during their seasonal runs.
Beyond material sustenance, salmon symbolized renewal and were integrated into ceremonial practices. Some tribes believed spawning salmon contained the souls of deceased tribe members returning home. Salmon were seen as a gift to be received with respect and reciprocity. Strict rules dictated the timing, method, and quantity of salmon that could be caught, ensuring future runs. The cultural identity of Pacific Northwest tribes was fundamentally shaped by salmon, as observed in artwork, dances, rituals, stories, and language. The decline of wild salmon threatens this cultural heritage. Recovering sustainable populations recognizes salmon’s cultural meaning.
Why Wild Salmon are Declining
After centuries of reliance on abundant wild salmon runs, populations have experienced sharp declines over the past several decades. Of the historical Pacific salmon runs, around 40% are now extinct and over 50% are listed under the Endangered Species Act. This decline stems from multiple cumulative pressures:
-
Overharvest: Commercial overfishing occurred through parts of the 19th and 20th centuries, reducing populations. Continued legal and illegal overharvest puts extra pressure on struggling runs.
-
Habitat loss: Logging, agriculture, urbanization, mining, and grazing have damaged stream habitats through erosion and sedimentation, loss of riparian vegetation, altered flows, and reduced water quality. Estuaries and wetlands critical for salmon rearing have been drained and converted.
-
Dams: Dams block migration routes and change river ecology through altered flows, temperatures, sediment transport, and habitat access. Juvenile salmon can also be killed passing through dam turbines.
-
Hatcheries: Though intended to supplement wild populations, hatcheries pose risks through genetic dilution, disease transmission, and competition for resources.
-
Climate change: Rising water temperatures, shifting streamflows, drought, flooding, sea level rise, and ocean acidification threaten salmon survival and migration patterns.
Reversing the decline requires addressing all these cumulative pressures through improved harvest management, habitat restoration, passage improvements, hatchery reforms, and climate change mitigation.
Why Wild Salmon Need More Protection
The multifaceted ecological, economic, and cultural benefits salmon provide are best sustained through healthy wild populations. Hatchery-raised salmon cannot fully replace self-sustaining wild stocks. Wild salmon exhibit greater genetic diversity and are better adapted to thrive in local habitat conditions. Fisheries relying on wild salmon are more resilient. To prevent future extinction and support flourishing salmon runs once more, expanded protections for remaining wild populations are essential.
A proactive conservation approach focused on safeguarding the healthiest wild salmon strongholds offers the best hope for sustainable future runs. Priority should be placed on permanently protecting intact watersheds with high habitat quality and diversity. Dam removals and passage improvements can reconnect fragmented habitats. Riparian area conservation maintains vital rearing habitat. Managing harvest and predation helps balance salmon population needs. Habitat restoration and water quality improvements also strengthen ecosystem resilience to climate change impacts. With strategic protection of stronghold watersheds, wild Pacific salmon can continue sustaining ecosystems, economies, and cultures for centuries to come.
Southern Resident Killer Whales and Amendment 21 Image
Southern Resident killer whales. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
Pacific salmon and the management of Pacific salmon fisheries can also affect Southern Resident killer whales. Listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Southern Resident killer whales mainly consume Chinook salmon. If the whales have difficulty in finding enough prey, this could result in a decline in their health, reproduction, and survival.
To increase availability of Chinook salmon as food for Southern Resident killer whales, NOAA Fisheries approved an amendment (Amendment 21) to the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Salmon Fishery Management Plan in September 2021. Amendment 21 improves Chinook availability as prey for Southern Resident killer whales from ocean fisheries by limiting commercial and recreational fishing off the West Coast of the United States when Chinook salmon abundance is too low. The amendment is an example of managing salmon fisheries while considering species interactions and predator-prey relationships. The best available science about Southern Resident killer whales and their prey, Chinook salmon, was considered in the development of Amendment 21.
The following actions and locations are included in Amendment 21 and would be implemented if Chinook salmon numbers fall below a specified level of low abundance:
- Reduce fishing quotas north of Cape Falcon, Oregon
- Close areas off the Columbia River and Grays Harbor, to all but tribal treaty fishing, until June 15
- Delay the ocean commercial troll fishery between Cape Falcon and the California/Oregon border until April 1
- Close areas off the Klamath River and Monterey Bay in California to recreational and commercial Chinook salmon fishing from October 1 to March 31
Nearshore Habitats and Salmon Survival Image
Nearshore habitats are extremely important to the Pacific salmon and steelhead life cycle. Juvenile salmon use nearshore habitats when they are young as a safe space to grow and hide from predators. Examples of nearshore environments include beaches, bluffs, inlets, river deltas, and estuaries.
Estuaries are locations where salt water from the ocean meets and mixes with freshwater from streams at the mouth of rivers. Estuaries provide a place for juveniles to feed, hide from predators, and to prepare for traveling into the ocean for the next stage of their life.
Nearshore areas are also important for Chinook salmon, as they move into the ocean. The abundance of salmon can impact other species in nearshore ecosystems, but the condition of these ecosystems can also impact the number of salmon. The time, nourishment, and growth salmon experience in nearshore environments helps them increase their chances of survival in the ocean.
In the past, human expansion into large areas of nearshore and estuary habitats have degraded or destroyed many of these critical nursery areas for salmon, such as in Puget Sound and the San Francisco Bay. The damage to and loss of nearshore habitat has affected salmon at a vital point in their life cycle and continue to remain major obstacles to their recovery.
NOAA Fisheries has focused resources on protection and restoration of nearshore habitat. Learn more about salmon and habitats through the following resources:
Secret Life of Salmon | Episode 1 – “Why are Salmon Superheroes?”
FAQ
FAQ
Why is salmon important to people?
As a main dish at almost every meal, salmon is at the center of the cultures of the Plateau tribes. Feasts were held to celebrate their return each year! The salmon’s return was a promise of plenty of food to help the people grow healthy and strong. Salmon are also a part of the Pacific Northwest tribes’ religions.
What would happen if salmon went extinct?
What is the significance of the salmon?
Salmon have long been the symbol and lifeblood of the people who call the Pacific Northwest home. Columbia Basin salmon play an important role in the ecosystem of the region, returning ocean nutrients to the rivers and streams where they were born, feeding wildlife and even the forests with their bodies.
What is the importance of eating salmon fish?
It’s a top source of omega-3 fats, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These fats (also known as fish oil) support heart health, reduce inflammation and promote optimal brain function. Salmon’s omega-3 fats, protein, and other nutrients account for its many health benefits.
Why is salmon important?
Salmon are vital for the economies of coastal communities, especially those in the Pacific Northwest. Wild salmon also play a critical role in ecosystem heath, from the ocean, to mountain streams and forests.
Why are Pacific salmon important?
Pacific salmon are keystone species, and play an essential role in the health and function of ecosystems. Salmon benefit other species as food and their bodies enrich habitats through the cycling of nutrients from the ocean to freshwater streams. Ocean Swimming Salmon. Credit: Shutterstock
What role does salmon play in the ecosystem?
Pacific salmon are keystone species, and play an essential role in the health and function of ecosystems. Salmon benefit other species as food and their bodies enrich habitats through the cycling of nutrients from the ocean to freshwater streams. What would happen to the ecosystem without salmon?
Why are salmon important to Native Americans?
Salmon are vitally important to different user groups. Native Americans have a natural, annual rhythm: harvest, celebrate, give thanks, respect, repeat. There is a balance. Commercial fishermen seek salmon to sustain a livelihood, many with small operations in towns along the Washington and Oregon coasts.
Why is salmon count so important?
Wild salmon are the lifeblood of the B.C. coast. Here are our top 7 reasons why #SalmonCount from a cultural, economic and environmental standpoint. 1. Few species have been as central to the ecological health in the Pacific Northwest as wild salmon.
Why are wild salmon important in the Pacific Northwest?
1. Few species have been as central to the ecological health in the Pacific Northwest as wild salmon. Their annual migrations are a miracle of nature and every fall hundreds of species including bears, wolves, and eagles gather in estuaries and along rivers to feast on the returning fish and benefit from the marine-rich nutrients they provide. 2.