salmon carcass tossing 2016

Nisqually River Salmon

Nutrient Enhancement

ProgramThe stinky and slimy

salmon carcass tossing thing

Salmon Life Cycle

Listen to this song to label

your diagram!

Historical salmon runsPre 1800’s

• 5000 Chinook• 23,000 Coho• 60,000-100,000 Chum• 115,000 Pink (odd years only)• 6000 Steelhead

720,000 to 1,425,000 lbs/yr!!!!!

marine derived nutrients;

depending on chum run and pink(odd year)

Present Day• Chinook Hatchery – 13,150• Chinook Natural run – 664• Coho combined – 9,078• Wild Winter Chum – 54,315• Wild Pink – 800,000• Winter Wild Steelhead – 1,127

343,000 lbs/yr

• Less than 1/3 of historical run size

• Much more chum than any other fish/less diversity

Historical vs. Current

Chinook and Steelhead

Nisqually Salmon Runs

Goal of Salmon Tossing

• Bring marine derived nutrients upstream

–Winter months

–Low nutrient systems

How does the smolt that enters the estuary compare to

the adult that returns to spawn?

Where do the carcasses come from?

Where do the carcasses come from?

Clear Creek Hatchery!

Salmon Carcass Tossing

Why Toss Salmon Carcasses?

Food for the bugs salmon like to eat!

Why Toss Salmon Carcasses?

Many animals depend on salmon for food

Why Toss Salmon Carcasses?

Nutrition for the forest!

Why Toss Salmon Carcasses?

Wa He Lut Indian School

The Presence of Salmon in these rivers are a cultural and spiritual

tradition.

Why Toss Salmon Carcasses?

They’re an economic keystone as well!

-David Troutt, Yil-me-hu 2015

15 years of Carcass Tossing(1999-2015---no fish tossed in 2008/09)

148.4 tons of rotten salmon tossed

296,800lbs!

About 21,200 lbs this year!

Timing

*above Centralia Dam

What To Wear:

Rain gear and rubber boots are

recommended!

Dress in layers to keep warm.

Bring a plastic bag to store smelly, outer

layers

Change of clothes...?

Western

Beaked

Hazelnut

Indian Plum

Thank you!

Aleks Storvick & Sheila Wilson

Nisqually River Education Project

aleks@nisquallyriver.org

Sheila@nisquallyriver.org

(360) 438-8715

Interested in learning more or want to view this

presentation again? Grab a parent and visit our website:

nrep.nisquallyriver.org

We have resources just for students!