2. Life Cycle of the Salmon http://biology.mcgill.ca/faculty/hendry/pics.html

3. Picture this……. A beautiful summer day fishing. Your enjoying the beautiful atmosphere, when all of a sudden……

4. You pull this out of the water!

5. But what would have happened if your line broke? What would have happened to that fish once it swam away? But what would have happened if your line broke? What would have happened to that fish once it swam away?

6. Males and females swim to calm streams and lakes to spawn. biology.mcgill.ca/.../ pic_files/image008.jpg

7. Females create redds in gravel with their tails and deposit roe in them. Males then move in over the top of the females and deposit milt over the eggs. The eggs are gently covered over with gravel.

8. This process continues for awhile with females building several redds being fertilized by several males. http://www.goldseal.ca/wildsalmon/life_cycle.asp

9. Eggs develop into embryos. Here vital organs (eyes and gills) and body systems are formed. When you can see a well defined eye, it is called an eyed egg.

10. Embryos continue to develop until late winter or early spring. An enzyme is created inside the egg that allows the alevin to hatch.

11. Alevins are small fish with yolk sacs attached to them.

12. These yolk sacs are a source of nourishment for the developing salmon. Alevins will hide in the gravel for protection. http://www.goldseal.ca/wildsalmon/life_cycle.asp

13. When the nourishment in the yolk sac is used up, the salmon have now become fry. They will move to different locations to find new sources of food and shelter (habitat). http://www.goldseal.ca/wildsalmon/life_cycle.asp

14. After a period of 1-5 years (depending on the species of salmon) fry will develop into smolts. They take all their imprint cues (what they learned of their birthplace) and swim up to the surface to migrate down river to the estuaries. http://www.goldseal.ca/wildsalmon/life_cycle.asp

15. Salmon are known as andromous fish. This means they spend part of their life in salt water and part of it in fresh water.

16. It is here in these estuaries where salmon undergo several internal and external changes to adapt to salt water. http://seagrant.uaf.edu/nosb/papers/2006/skyview-herring.html

18. Salmon will spend 6 months to 6 years feeding and growing in the salt water. http://www.goldseal.ca/wildsalmon/salmon_migration.asp?pattern=summary

19. Salmon eventually find their way back to their birthplace to spawn. At this stage of their life salmon are called spawners. How do they manage to find their way back? http://www.goldseal.ca/wildsalmon/life_cycle.asp

20. Scientists are still trying to find the exact answer, but they found a strong sense of smell, position of the sun, ocean currents, and the magnetic north pole may all play a factor. www1.istockphoto.com/ file_thumbview_approve/1..

21. Once the salmon enter fresh water again, they swim upstream. During this time they stop eating. All energy is focused on swimming and eventually spawning. Therefore they begin to shrink in size as they use up reserved fat and muscle tissue.

22. Once the roe and milt have been laid in the redds, the salmon dies. http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/aquaticed/adfgteacherguide/chapter2.html

23. Salmon carcasses provide nourishment to carnivores, as well as caddis fly larvae. These larvae provide nourishment to small developing salmon fry. Decaying salmon also provide nutrients that are released into the soil. Can you say fertilizer?? www.hickerphoto.com/.../ 161/eagles_MG_0161.jpg