There have been various studies intended to establish how salmon make this exceptional journey. And it has been concluded that salmon find their way by use of “smell ”. By means of its ingeniously structured nose, a salmon can follow a scent in the water to its source, just as a hound does.
It has been concluded that salmon find their way by use of “smell ”. Thanks to its ingeniously structured nose, a salmon can pursue a scent in the water to its source just as a hound does. In fact, every current has a distinctive smell. The young salmon records all the smells during its journey and returns home by recalling these smells.
Animal Magnetism: How Salmon Find Their Way Back Home : The Salt When salmon are ready to leave the ocean and go back to their birthplace, they use magnetism to find their home river .
You may be asking “How do salmon find their way back to the river?”
After hatching in a freshwater stream, young salmon make a break for the ocean, where they hang out for years, covering thousands of miles before deciding its time to settle down and lay eggs in their natal stream. So how do these fish find their way back to their home river? According to one theory, it’s all about magnetism.
Why do salmon cross the ocean?
According to one theory, it’s all about magnetism. When salmon are young, the theory goes, they imprint on the pattern of the Earth’s magnetic field at the mouth of their native river. Years later, when the salmon head back home to spawn, they home in on that pattern.
When salmon are young, the theory goes, they imprint on the pattern of the Earth’s magnetic field at the mouth of their native river. Years later, when the salmon head back home to spawn, they home in on that pattern.
What happens to Salmon born in hatcheries if they get lost?
If salmon born in hatcheries get lost on the way back home, they could end up in the wrong stream and interbreed with wild salmon populations.