At “The Oyster Bar,” we work diligently to get you the best seafood that there is to offer. We continue to do this with our customers in mind, even as climate change is playing a role is redirecting the patterns of seafood in the Pacific Northwest. Warmer waters are making breeding harder for species like salmon to thrive like they have in past generations.
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Since the 1980s, wild Pacific salmon have been at odds with a lot of different factors. Over-fishing is one area of concern, with the globe becoming more and more populated than ever before. Add in pollution and habitat loss, and things start to make sense why it has been so hard for salmon to flourish like they once did. But, it all revolves around heat.
The Tulalip Indian Reservation
To the east of the Puget Sounds sits the Tulalip Indian Reservation. This reservation is north of Seattle by 40 miles. Salmon, in the area, arrive and depart with the changing of seasons. In the spring, the salmon come in, and in the fall, they start making their departure. At the tribal center, the reservation has worked hard to care for the salmon like they would their own lives. But, the global warming is making their job that much harder.
Record Heat
Over the last few years, the Pacific Northwest has had extra hot summers. Because of the weather, the water temperatures have risen, too. In turn, the waters have been killing off adult salmon, before they can go through reproduction. With younger salmon staying in the rivers and streams, they are sticking in these areas longer than ever before, instead of heading out to the ocean. Issues are even presenting themselves at the local hatcheries on the reservation and beyond. Salmon are not producing at the rate they once were, and it is concerning that now 75% of the salmon caught in the area comes from hatcheries, and not the wild.