From high mountain streams to broad rivers, to estuaries and the ocean, salmon are our “canary in the coalmine”, alerting us to the impact of climate change on the health of our entire ecosystem.

An icon of the Pacific Northwest, salmon suffer seven distinct climate change impacts:

For more information about how global warming is affecting rivers and fish in the Pacific Northwest region, see: Fish Out of Water (1.4 Mb) - Need PDF help?

Transcript of the slideshow

1. Loss of snowpack
Loss of snowpack and shrinking glaciers mean reduced stream flows in summer and fall.

Impacts:

2. Warmer Water
Optimum water temperature range for most salmonids is 55-64 degrees Fahrenheit (12.8-17.8 degrees Celsius).

Warmer summers are also raising stream temperatures, making salmon more susceptible to predators, parasites and disease. Massive fish kills have occurred at or above 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius).

3. Forest Fires
Warmer, dryer conditions have resulted in a 400% increase in the number of major fires and 600% increase in the average area burned since the 1980s.

Intense forest fires can completely burn out root systems, contributing to erosion and siltation of nearby rivers.

4. More Severe Storms and Floods
Increasingly heavy winter floods wash away salmon eggs, even scouring away the gravel spawning beds.

Severe floods can wash toxic materials into rivers.

5. Ocean Acidification
CO₂ is making the oceans more acidic, dissolving the shells of tiny mollusks, an important food source for juvenile North Pacific salmon.

6. Warmer Oceans
Warmer ocean waters and shifting currents are prompting a northward shift in the range of some salmon and other fish populations, such as barracuda and Pacific cod.

7. Sea Level Rise
Sea level rise may inundate low-lying estuaries, a critical habitat for salmonids as they make their transition between river and ocean life stages.

Impact on Other Animals:
Where salmon decline, animals that depend on salmon – from microorganisms to bears, eagles, mink, river otter, and orcas - also suffer.

We can change the forecast. Here's how:

Restore rivers and estuaries by removing unnecessary and harmful barriers and address root causes of land-use problems.

Save the best remaining habitat by protecting parks, wilderness and roadless areas.

Improve forestry and farming practices to minimize impact on rivers.

Improve fisheries management by using real-time monitoring, and maintaining genetic diversity, which helps species adapt to a changing environment.

Increase water use efficiency and conservation by households, farms and industry.

Anticipate climate change impacts when creating long-term water resource management programs.

Address policy barriers to cooperation among the many stakeholders for scarce water resources, such as the “use-it-or-lose-it” provision in Western Water Law.

Increase the energy efficiency of homes, offices, motor vehicles and factories; implement stronger state and federal efficiency standards.

Developing non-hydro, renewable energy sources can prevent hundreds of millions of tons of CO₂ emissions, while creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs.

Transportation is the biggest contributor of greenhouse gas in the Pacific Northwest. Create meaningful energy strategies including:

Sequester carbon through sound management and restoration of grasslands, wetlands, forests and agricultural lands.

Streambank restoration provides wildlife habitat and shades streams to keep water temperatures lower.

Call your legislators in Washington today. Urge them to set limits on national greenhouse gas pollution AND to re-engage in international cooperation on global warming.