Salmon are a keystone species. The decline of salmon in recent years indicates the corresponding decline of the water and forests in the region. When salmon thrive, it’s a good indicator that nature is also thriving. Salmon pass through multiple environments through Puget Sound on their journey that takes them upriver, flowing through developed areas and agriculture on the many rivers that flow through Washington’s farmland. Their survival is dependent on clean cool water flowing from snowpack, through shady forests and out to the sound and ocean. Environmental issues in any of the links on the journey can mean decline and even extinction for our salmon species. Salmon provide important information about how the entire environment and ecosystem is doing. They’re not only inspiring and a wonderful source of food for humans and animals, but more importantly are a critical barometer for the wellbeing of nature. Salmon are a force for …show more content…
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and others already mark millions of hatchery fish, which can help improve the protection of wild salmon by allowing anglers to identify which fish are wild and return them to the water. These efforts are vital to maintain fishing as an important part of Washington’s economy. We can almost expect that fewer wild fish will be harvested. In response to an Endangered Species Act, harvest rates will drop, as evidenced by the recent abundance of Columbia River Chinook. On a fishing trip to the Stillaguamish River in September of last year, I was informed by a park ranger that the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife has more than doubled the number of areas where hatchery marked Chinook, coho, and steelhead can be caught. Improvements to hatcheries are reducing impacts on wild fish and can increase the production of fish that can be caught by