why do salmon go upstream to spawn
This is the Age of Science and experts, their minds filled with curiosity, are busy prying into the age ,old secrets of nature, One by one the ancient mysteries are being explained. Strange to sc y, this removes none of the wonder from our wonderful planet. Far from it. The true facts often seem more miraculous than any mystery we could imagine. In the last few years, science has done some new exploring into the genes, those important little bodies inside the living cell. The genes give orders which the entire body of an animal must obey without question. Orle modern theory suggests that the genes of an animal are programmed with a schedule of orders for his entire lifetime, There is already a wealth of evidence to support this theory. If it proves true, it would explain why an animal repeats the life cycle of his parents. In the past, this built in information was cali.3d instinct a word that nobody could explain very well. If the r.3w theory is correct, instinct is the programming of
There are many things that creatures do to produce and protect their young that seem quite miraculous to us. After all, isnt it rather amazing the way birds build nests, or the way certain animals will fight to save their young from enemies? The instinct that takes the salmon on the long trip upstream must be there because this is the best way new salmon can be born and grow. Not all salmon go to the headquarters of a stream to spawn. Some stay quite close to lower stretches of rivers. The pink salmon is an example of this. It spawns only a few miles above salt water. But in contrast there is the king salmon. It may travel as much as 3,000 miles up a river from the sea! When the salmon enter fresh water, they are in fine condition, healthy and strong and fat. But as soon as they reach fresh water, they stop feeding. Sometimes they wear themselves out trying to reach the exact place they want to go deposit their eggs.
