Learn the benefits of returning salmon carcasses to historical spawning grounds. Marine derived nutrients for the win! Here is the link for the second slide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV30UZ9aF04 It's a sweet music video about the life cycle of salmon but sang to the tune of I Will Survive!

1. Nisqually River Salmon
Nutrient Enhancement
Program
The stinky and slimy
salmon carcass tossing thing

2. Salmon Life Cycle
Listen to this song to label
your diagram!

3. Historical salmon runs
Pre 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)

4. 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

5. Historical vs. Current

6. Chinook and Steelhead

7. Nisqually Salmon Runs

8. 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?

9. Where do the carcasses come from?

10. Where do the carcasses come from?
Clear Creek Hatchery!

12. Salmon Carcass Tossing

15. Why Toss Salmon Carcasses?
Food for the bugs salmon like to eat!

18. Why Toss Salmon Carcasses?
Many animals depend on salmon for food

19. Why Toss Salmon Carcasses?
Nutrition for the forest!

20. Why Toss Salmon Carcasses?
Wa He Lut Indian School
The Presence of Salmon in these
rivers are a cultural and spiritual
tradition.

21. Why Toss Salmon Carcasses?
They’re an economic keystone as well!
-David Troutt, Yil-me-hu 2015

22. 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!

25. Timing
*above Centralia Dam

26. 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...?

27. Western
Beaked
Hazelnut

28. Indian Plum

29. 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!