Pacific Salmon Carcasses: Essential Contributions of Nutrients and Energy for Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems

TLDR

Pacific salmon and other anadromous salmonids transport marine nutrients across ecosystem boundaries, and their carcasses deliver nutrients and energy to aquatic and terrestrial biota through multiple pathways. This paper reviews and synthesizes studies documenting salmon carcass nutrient transport across various localities and discusses implications for maintaining the nutrient feedback system. The authors review and synthesize studies documenting salmon carcass nutrient transport across different localities. The review concludes that spawning salmon and their carcasses are essential habitat components for sustaining fish production and other salmon‑dependent species in watersheds, implying future management must consider them.

Abstract

Pacific salmon and other anadromous salmonids represent a major vector for transporting marine nutrients across ecosystem boundaries (i.e., from marine to freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems). Salmon carcasses provide nutrients and energy to biota within aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems through various pathways. In this paper we review and synthesize the growing number of studies documenting this process in different localities. We also discuss the implications for maintaining the nutrient feedback system. Our findings show that future management will need to view spawning salmon and their carcasses as important habitat components for sustaining the production of fish as well as other salmon-dependent species within watersheds.