Pacific Salmon

Pacific salmon have been the lifeblood of generations of fishermen and are an integral part of communities up and down the coast. Adapted for cold water, salmon cannot survive prolonged exposure to stream temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, the "red" or sockeye salmon (pictured) are already extinct over much of their range largely because of warmer water in spawning and rearing streams. They may be pushed entirely out of their native Pacific range if stream or ocean temperatures continue to rise. In addition, decreased glacial snowpack and snowmelt due to global warming means less stream flow, adding yet another obstacle for many salmon species already struggling to return to their birth streams to spawn.

Scientific name: Oncorhynchus genus
Endangered Species Act List:
Region: West, Rockies, Oceans