How far do salmon travel?
Salmon first travel from their home stream to the ocean, which can be a distance of hundreds of miles. Once they reach the ocean, they might travel an additional 1,000 miles to reach their feeding grounds.
Learn more: Questions and Answers about Salmon
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Where can I find fish consumption advisories for my state?
How do salmon know where their home is when they return from the ocean?
Why do salmon change color and die after they spawn?
How long do salmon usually live?
When can salmon be seen migrating to their spawning area?
Why do salmon eggs come in different colors?
Why are there so few salmon left?
How many species of salmon are there and how large can they get?
Where are salmon most endangered?
Are salmon endangered worldwide?
Community flood protection may also help endangered salmon to thrive
Building a river setback levee to reduce the risk of flood for a community may also help endangered fish species to thrive, according to the results of a novel computer model reported by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Endangered Salmon Population Monitored with eDNA for First Time
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and Washington State University have discovered that endangered Chinook salmon can be detected accurately from DNA they release into the environment. The results are part of a special issue of the journal Biological Conservation on use of environmental DNA to inform conservation and management of aquatic species.
New Method Monitors Riverbed and Flows to Protect Spawning Salmon
USGS scientists took high-tech sensors typically found in devices such as smart phones and embedded them into a new method to monitor riverbed movements that can help protect spawning habitat for endangered salmon. Developed in cooperation with Seattle Public Utilities for the Cedar River, the new method is published in the Journal of Hydrology.
Removal of Obsolete Forest Roads Can Reduce Erosion and Sediment That Impair Salmon-bearing Streams
Removing abandoned forest roads and restoring the natural characteristics of slopes and stream channels in the Redwood National and State Parks in northern California have substantially reduced the delivery of sediment to salmon-bearing streams, according to a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.
Radio-tagged Kasilof River coho salmon
Radio tagged coho salmon from the Kasilof River in Alaska
Chinook Salmon
Chinook Salmon. Photograph courtesy of Michael Humling, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Acoustic-tagged juvenile Chinook salmon being released
Acoustic-tagged juvenile Chinook salmon being released.
PubTalk 2/2015 — Undamming Washington's Elwha River
by Amy East USGS Research Geologist
- Hear about river response to the largest dam removal in history.
- Causing disturbance as a means of restoration: how well does it work?
- Will legendary salmon runs return?
A Time to Spawn
Salmon and steelhead migrating through Bonnerville Dam.
Sockeye Salmon
Animated GIF of a Sockeye Salmon swimming in the water. This image comes from a video that depicts adult Sockeye Salmon in Drano Lake, WA on July 15th and 16th 2015.