#Spawning Salmon

This spawning sockeye salmon in Alaska is literally giving everything it has to complete its final mission. Nothing stops these fish from reaching their spawning grounds - not even death itself 😳 The circle of life is both beautiful and terrifying. This salmon is literally decomposing but still fighting upstream to spawn. Contact @beartraillodgealaska for a top notch guiding service! 🤘 #FlyLife #Alaska #salmon #Trout #troutfishing

Have you ever seen this many salmon? 🐻🐟 The salmon run is one of nature’s most incredible journeys. These amazing fish navigate thousands of miles back to the exact rivers where they were born, guided by their remarkable sense of smell. As they make their way upstream, salmon undergo a stunning transformation. Their bodies turn bright red or orange, signaling their readiness to spawn and complete their life cycle. For brown bears, this is a crucial time—they rely on the salmon run to build up the fat reserves they need to survive the winter hibernation. Want to see brown bears during the salmon run? Send me a DM! Follow @thewildlifecollective_ to see more like this! — — #salmon #grizzlybear #fish #alaska #salmonrun #nature #wildlife #brownbears #fishing #fishinglife #alaskawildlife #natgeowild #natgeo #wildlifephotographer #natgeotravel #naturelovers #bear

Did you know that we see salmon in our creek? 🐟 Once a year, usually around late-September to October, the salmon travel up freshwater streams for their final spawning migration. This year, they made their journey a bit late due to record-high water temperatures. Salmon do not fare well in warm water, so they waited until it cooled down a bit over the past couple of weeks. We were starting to wonder if we would see them at all. But early this week, they made their way past our farm. We watched their migration from the banks of the creek. As usual, they made quite a splash! Salmon are interesting fish for many reasons, one of which is their lifecycle. They are spawned and born in freshwater, and eventually become accustomed to saltwater as they make their way towards oceans, where they spend most of their adult life. Once they are of reproductive age, they return to freshwater. Amazingly, most return to their natal freshwater–the actual streams or creeks where they were born! This journey up the creek is their final one. They go through extreme efforts to travel against the current to their spawning grounds. You can see how much determination they have as they splash around the creek bed. They even stop feeding as they make this trip. Most salmon will die en route or after spawning–it is the end of their lifecycle. They are an incredible example of the instinct to persevere to meet their goal of spawning the next generation. Though we love to see the magic of the salmon run every year, we have our concerns about their future ability to make this journey. Shifting water temperatures and levels are becoming increasingly unpredictable and harmful, as is the water quality in the region’s freshwater creeks and rivers as a result of erosion and pollution. This reality can be a motivation for us all to invest in ecological restoration and protect our freshwater habitats for future generations of humans and all other creatures alike. #niagarasalmonrun #salmonrun #palatinefruitandroses #niagarafarms #fourmilecreek

Imagine what it must be like to be a salmon right now. During the salmon run, they’re not simply swimming upstream. It’s a fierce battle against blistering rapids and scorching canyons. They hurl themselves to the highest pool of the tallest waterfall. Jokes aside, they actually do that, and with incredible endurance. Some travel over 3,000 km inland to reach their spawning grounds. Others, like this one, navigate creeks so shallow they have to flop across inches of water, scraping scales on rocks just to keep going. Meanwhile, predators line up along the banks like it’s a buffet. Still, something in that small fish brain knows it’s time to go home — back to the exact river they were born in. Because if they survived there once, their offspring might too. After all that effort, most die within days of spawning. Fewer than 10% ever make it this far. But those that do ensure the next generation lives on. Video by @paulnicklen #OceanSchool #SalmonRun #Salmon #ExploreBC #Explore

Kokanee Salmon are on the move at Begbie Falls! Unlike many salmon species, Kokanee don’t migrate to the ocean. Instead, they spend their whole lives in freshwater. During spawning, they travel upstream to gravel beds where they lay and fertilize their eggs, continuing an incredible cycle of life right here in our rivers. Please watch respectfully to help protect these fish and their habitat. #Revelstoke #TheRealStoke #ExploreBC #KootRocks

In honor of spooky season… This is a Sockeye Salmon graveyard 🪦 No this is not a catastrophe, it’s actually just a part of the life cycle of this species of salmon. The lifecycle of a Sockeye: They then emerge as fry and spend 1 to 3 years in fresh water before reaching the smolt stage and migrating out to the ocean, usually in the spring. All sockeye salmon die within a few weeks after spawning (the result is millions of carcasses along the shorelines of rivers). They sexually mature around the age of 5, which means their lifespan is about 5 years, although some live longer. This year was the largest sockeye salmon run on record, almost 80,000,000 salmon returning to their spawning grounds🙌🏻 This was a massive win for the biodiversity in southwest Alaska, without the salmon the majority of the wildlife would not be able to make it through the winter.

Each summer, sockeye salmon return from the Pacific to the rivers where they were born. In the ocean they’re bright chrome, but once they enter freshwater their bodies begin a dramatic transformation. Hormones shift, they stop feeding, and their stored energy is redirected toward spawning. Their bodies turn deep crimson while the head takes on a dark green color. Their teeth also grow longer and sharper, used to compete with other salmon for space on the spawning grounds. That red color comes from carotenoid pigments built up while feeding on shrimp and krill in the ocean. After spawning, the salmon die, and their bodies feed the rivers, wildlife, and forests around them. It’s one of the clearest examples of how a single species can fuel an entire ecosystem.

Dams can completely block migratory fish from reaching their spawning grounds, but engineers have created surprising solutions to help them travel upstream safely. From high tech salmon cannons that gently transport fish through mist filled tubes to zigzag fish ladders that create resting pools along steep elevation changes, these systems are designed to protect ecosystems while maintaining human infrastructure. These innovations not only support salmon migration but also help manage invasive species and restore natural river flow patterns. #fish #engineering #nature #science

Want to know what happens to salmon eggs at a hatchery after spawning? Here’s the process!

Wild Atlantic salmon spawning in #coldcleanwater - watch as the brown trout rush in to hoover up the stray eggs. #salmon #atlanticsalmon #salmosalar #spawningsalmon #wildlifephotography #underwaterphotography #animalbehaviour #highlands #scotland

A Chinook Salmon’s Final Journey in the Crystal River🐟 Each fall, Chinook salmon make their way from Lake Michigan into local rivers, including the Crystal River near Glen Arbor to complete their life cycle. This male Chinook, is nearing the end of that journey. After spending several years growing in Lake Michigan, adult salmon return to the very streams where they were born to spawn. Males develop a hooked jaw, called a kype, and their coloration darkens as they compete for territory. Once spawning is complete, these salmon begin to deteriorate naturally, often showing white fungal patches (Saprolegnia) as their bodies break down. Although their lives end shortly after spawning, their role in the ecosystem continues. As salmon decompose, they release valuable nutrients that feed aquatic plants, insects, and young fish, enriching the entire watershed. This annual salmon run is a striking reminder of the interconnectedness between Lake Michigan and our inland rivers, and of how life and death in nature are both vital to the health of the system. Pretty gnarly, but that’s nature for ya🤙🏽 📍 Crystal River, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore 🍂 10/26/2025 #shareslbe #m22 #northernmichigan #fishing #salmon #hunting #nature #nationalgeographic #wildplanet

“After all these years of September, October, November, and December watching pink, Chinook, coho, sockeye, and chum salmon fully alive as they die, I am no longer afraid to be near death” - Adrienne Scanlan One of the great beauties of salmon ❤️ A salmon video of mine has taken off lately & there are many comments lamenting on the sad lifecycle of salmon. It’s a very human perspective and I completely understand it, but I think the overall perspective of the salmon lifecycle can help with understanding why salmon death after spawning isn’t so sad. Salmon feed wildlife, from bears, to ravens, to maggots. The nutrients from their bodies are important for the forests. More than 150 species benefit from salmon death. Even the salmon that will hatch from the eggs they died to lay. Those maggots and other bugs are food for juvenile salmon, as well as other aquatic species. The trees that grew big and strong from the decaying nutrients provide shade and shelter for juvenile salmon. It’s all connected & essential. Like the quote shared, salmon death has also made me feel more comfortable & at peace with my own mortality. Another less ecological perspective as to why seeing salmon carcasses doesn’t make me feel sad. It’s comforting to see a body that has fulfilled its purpose continuing on feeding the ecosystem around it. I hope that is what many of us find in our own deaths. That who we were & what we accomplished continues to bring life to others. #PacificSalmon #SaveWildSalmon #SalmonAreLife #UnderwaterWorld