Why pink salmon are climate winners
Climate Lab is a Seattle Times initiative that explores the effects of climate change in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The project is funded in part by The Bullitt Foundation, CO2 Foundation, Jim and Birte Falconer, Mike and Becky Hughes, Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Martin-Fabert Foundation, Craig McKibben and Sarah Merner, Mary Snapp and Spencer Frazer, University of Washington and Walker Family Foundation, and its fiscal sponsor is the Seattle Foundation.
You may know Humpy, the Mariners mascot sporting floaties and a life vest, who finally clinched a win in the mid-inning “Salmon Run” during the postseason sprint last fall.
But the real humpies, or pink salmon, are among the world’s so-called climate winners. About 8 million were forecast to return to Puget Sound watersheds last fall. They are the top salmon in the North Pacific, their surging abundance fueled in part by ocean heating and hatchery production.
The pinks’ success has been linked to additional pressure on other salmon already struggling against strong headwinds. The pinks, while fun to catch, are no substitute for economically and culturally important salmon like Chinook, a species most prized in Northwest waters for its size and nutritional benefits to people, orcas and the broader ecosystem that depends on them.
Scroll to learn more about these relationships (not the Mariners mascot) through our illustrated guide.
Climate winners
Scientists like Greg Ruggerone, an international salmon expert, say that pink salmon are more resilient to climate change. Their two-year life cycle — and their DNA — have allowed them to bypass the worst effects of climate change, such as marine heat waves. Their short migration routes mean they’re less likely to encounter degraded habitats or overheated streams.
Related | Pink Salmon Boom