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For one Atlantic river there is no excitement and activity during the salmon spawning season because no salmon have returned.
For yet another river the cycle of salmon life is dead. 

I am sure there are a number of causes. Pollution, over fishing and fish farming have all played a part. At this moment does it really matter. The salmon have not returned. Every part of the ecosystem that is linked to the salmon spawning is now in trouble.
There will be no baby salmon to return to the ocean. Who knows what impact this will have. This is more than the death of a few fish. This is the unraveling of a complex pattern of animal behavior that is crucial to the well being of marine and fresh water habitats in the area. Smiley6 Sadsmiley 62 Sad

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/no-salmon-r...-1.3654053

I could get angry about this, but I don't have the heart for it right now. For years we have known that this was a danger. I just never actually believed that the day would come when no salmon would return.  I always believed that somehow they would survive. This means that all the other things we fear could also happen. What if one day the monarch butterflies don't return or perhaps our robins that are a sign of spring.  Smiley19
(10-30-2017, 03:18 PM)Catherine Wrote: [ -> ]I could get angry about this, but I don't have the heart for it right now. For years we have known that this was a danger. I just never actually believed that the day would come when no salmon would return.  I always believed that somehow they would survive. This means that all the other things we fear could also happen. What if one day the monarch butterflies don't return or perhaps our robins that are a sign of spring.  Smiley19

You are right; anger is not good for the heart and only eats away inside. We certainly should do our best to put things right (if we can, and if it is not already too late), but positive determination to protect the environment is not the same as anger.

It is very sad about the salmon, and could be a sign that more environmental changes are going to hit soon. Yes, as you say, what next: butterflies, robins....or bees (bringing the end of many crops), or more species of fish (already dying because of severe pollution in the oceans).

We humans should hang our heads in shame at what we have done. Humans - and only humans - are to blame.
Quote:We humans should hang our heads in shame at what we have done. Humans - and only humans - are to blame.

We have done more damage than any other species, any other event other than the massive asteroid strike 65 million years ago.
Perhaps we are worse because we are unraveling the whole structure of ecosystems from within. We are causing extinctions over and over again.

I don't know if this can be fixed. Salmon return to the place they hatched, to lay their own eggs. We would somehow have to cause salmon to hatch in the spawning ground. I don't know if this can be done. Can we get fertile eggs. Would it work. 
If it did we would still have to protect the species so the numbers could increase. 

We are working to save the monarchs. There is milkweed planted all over and flowers for the butterflies to feed on. Planting gardens for bees has become a serious business. We are all working on it.  We are pushing for big buildings to turn out their lights so they don't kill migrating birds. 

When it comes to the salmon I feel helpless. I learned about the hatchling salmon returning to the ocean and then coming back years later to lay their eggs. It is one of the earliest science lessons I remember from school. So what will they teach the children now? Will we tell them that we had this amazing planet, but we messed it up real bad so many amazing things are now gone forever. The planet was passed on to us as a trust from previous generations. We were supposed to pass it on intact. 
How do we explain that we broke it.
Oh dear, this is not good news. This will affect many other creatures, including Bears. It will have more far-reaching implications that we immediately think about.
This is one stream, but I think there may be others where salmon have failed to return or the numbers are very small. I just hope it doesn't spread. Bears and Eagles count on the salmon. Many things count on the salmon.
It is a complicated ecosystem. If it breaks down at one point the whole system could fall apart. 

This is kind of symbolic of what we are doing to the planet. We are breaking the links that hold systems together. When do we break the one that causes it all to crash. Maybe we already have.

Anything we can do to fix things, we should be doing it. Even little fixes might help. Right now anyone who is working to help save ecosystems, species or anything else is a planet hero. We need all of us to do what we can. Even if all a person did was recycle they are helping. They are keeping plastic out of the oceans. Our planet needs us. I hope all our efforts are enough.