Researchers confirmed the existence of magnetite crystals in Chinook salmon
The crystals allow the salmon to sense magnetic pulses from the Earth
They use these pulses as a biological GPS signal to keep track of where they are.
How do salmon navigate their way home?
For all these reasons, we can see why salmon navigate their way home. In recent years, studies have shown that in the open ocean environment, salmon use the magnetic field of the Earth to guide their migration.
This is what I found. 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.
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.
The how and why of salmon migration. In recent years, studies have shown that in the open ocean environment, salmon use the magnetic field of the Earth to guide their migration. This helps them move from the coastal areas near their spawning grounds to rich feeding areas, and then back again toward the end of their lives.
Salmon use Earth’s magnetic field to create a large-scale mental map which they follow to find suitable feeding grounds, a study published today in Current Biology has found.
Why do salmon follow the magnetic field?
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.
Thomas Bjorkan/Flickr Salmon use Earth’s magnetic field to create a large-scale mental map which they follow to find suitable feeding grounds, a study published today in Current Biology has found.
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.