Alaska ©2013 Adapted with permission from Canada’s Fisheries and Oceans program: Salmonid In The Classroom Salmon Funded by a grant through Alaska Department of Fish and Game Jay Baumer In The Aquatic Education Fisheries Biologist Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Sport Fish, Region II Classroom Publication design by Denise Buchanan ASD Science Teachers: Judith Onslow Catherine Boutin Shannon Bolog Susan Oliver Ella Bredthauer Helen O’Harra Alaska Salmon In The Classroom ! Skein 1! ! Overview: Building Knowledge...................Pages 2-30 ! Skein 2! ! Spawners: Return From The Sea..............Pages 1-49 ! Skein 3! ! Salmon Eggs.........................................................Pages 1-14 ! Skein 4! ! Water Cycle: Water Shed.............................Pages 1-16 ! Skein 5! ! Salmon Habitat....................................................Pages 1-18 ! Skein 6! ! Salmon Alevin......................................................Pages 1-14 ! Skein 7! ! Salmon Fry............................................................Pages 1-12 ! Skein 8! ! Salmon Smolt.......................................................Pages 1-14 ! Skein 9! ! Adult Salmon......................................................Pages 1-20 ! Glossary! ! Primary Grades (K-3) ! Glossary! ! Intermediate Grades (4-6) ! *** Prior to the Egg Take: ! ! Do Skein 1, Pages 2-29 & Skein 2, Pages 1-17. Page 1 Skein 1 Overview: Skein 1 This skein gives students the opportunity to: o P / I Examine and discuss their ! pre-existing ideas about salmon. o P / I Discuss and review life cycle of familiar plants and animals. o P Observe how organisms relate to their environment at different stages in their lifecycle. Overview o I Discuss and Review the stages of a salmon’s life cycle, and the specific needs of each stage. Big Ideas: o All living things have a life cycle that is related to their needs and their habitat. Building o The stages in a salmon’s life form a cycle, but each stage has specific Knowledge needs and is vulnerable to disruption and mortality of an alevin. Vocabulary: ! salmon, life cycle, egg, alevin, fry, ! smolt, adult, spawner Page 2 Skein 1 Important Standards Netted by Teaching Skein 1 SCIENCE Fourth Grade!! Fifth Grade! ! Sixth Grade SA 1.1!! ! SA 1.1! ! ! SA 1.1 SA 3.1!! ! SA 3.1! ! ! SA 3.1 SC 2.1!! ! SC 2.1! ! ! SA 2.2 SC 2.2!! ! SC 2.2 SC 3.1!! ! SC 3.1 MATH 3-6! ! WRITING 3-6!! READING 3-6 2.2.2.1!! ! W 1.1! ! ! R 2.1 2.2.3! ! ! W 2.1! ! ! R 2.4 ! ! ! ! ! ! R 1.5 ! ! ! ! ! ! R 2.5 Page 3 Skein 1 P BACKGROUND INFORMATION LIFE CYCLES Pacific salmon move through several distinct oxygen from the flowing water by using stages in their lives, as all living things do. their gills. Each generation begins a new generation and ✦ Fry: Once the yolk sac has been fully another set of life stages. We refer to this absorbed, the alevin leave the gravel as process as a life cycle. In salmon, each stage fry to search for food. They emerge from of the life cycle takes place in a specific the stream or lake bed, usually in late habitat, and has specific needs. spring, and swim to the surface. At the The stages in the life of Pacific salmon are as surface, they swallow air to inflate an follows: internal swim bladder, which overcomes ✦ Eggs: In late fall, adult salmon deposit their natural body weight and achieves neutral buoyancy, allowing them to move thousands of eggs in a redd, a gravel easily up or down in the water. Salmon fry depression in a flowing stream or on a generally swim in a small territory and lake shoreline, and cover the eggs with feed on whatever aquatic organisms drift more gravel. The eggs, always sensitive to through it. For protective coloring, they temperature, are particularly sensitive to develop dark bars on their skin known as movement at this stage, and need to parr marks, which disappear in the next remain undisturbed in the gravel. As cold, stage of their lives. They spend from a few clean water containing oxygen flows months to a few years in their natal through the gravel, an embryo develops stream or lake, depending on the species. the fertilized egg, and after about one At this stage, they learn to recognize their month eyes become visible. The embryo natal environment, primarily by gets the food it needs from the yolk of characteristic smells created in the water the egg, and oxygen from the water. by rocks, plant life, and other aquatic Disturbances such as changing water organisms. temperature, speed of water flow and polluted water or silt deposited on the ✦ Smolt: After their time in a stream or lake, stream or lake bed can destroy the eggs. salmon migrate downstream. When they In early spring, the surviving embryos reach the estuary where the river meets break through the membrane of the egg the ocean, they spend some time there as and hatch. They can move through the smolt adapting to salt water. Smolt gravel, but they still face many threats: gradually develop the ability to swallow silt can still smother them, changes in salt water and expel the salt in their urine water temperature or speed of water flow and through their gills. The scales that can be harmful, and predators catch developed when they were fry turn to a many. silvery color. Estuary life is rich with ✦ Alevin: (The A is pronounced either AY as abundant food, so smolt can grow rapidly, but estuaries are also home to many in play, or AH as in cat.) Alevin are mobile predators, such as birds, larger fish, and embryos. The yolk sac is still attached and also to human development. provides food for the alevin for two to three months as they continue to develop hidden in the gravel. Alevin extract ✦ Adults: Salmon migrate into the ocean, where they grow to adulthood with silvery Page 4 Skein 1 P bellies and darker backs. Each species bodies begin to change. Using stored migrates to a particular part of the energy, they travel 30 to 50 km (20-30 Pacific Coast from California to Northwest miles) upstream per day, often past Alaska, sometimes ranging thousands of waterfalls, and fallen obstacles. On the kilometers (km; or miles). They eat way, they become food for eagles, bears, smaller ocean fish, krill (tiny crustaceans), wolves and people. When they reach the and grow to their mature weight. area where they lived as fry, the female Predators include large fish, fish-eating digs a redd with her tail and fins. She birds, marine mammals and human deposits her eggs and a male releases his fishers. After a time, varying from one to milt to fertilize them. The female then eight years, they return and congregate covers the eggs with fresh gravel. While a at the mouth of their river of origin. single coho salmon produces about three Salmon seem to use a variety of visual thousand eggs, other species can produce and magnetic clues to navigate the ocean, as many as seven thousand. Both male and then rely mainly on their sense of smell female die within a few days of laying and to identify their natal stream or lake. fertilizing the eggs. Their carcasses contribute essential nutrients that fertilize ! Spawners: When they enter their river of the rearing area for the next generation origin in the fall and begin to travel of fry. upstream, salmon stop eating and their ---------- Sockeye Salmon _______ Chum Salmon ...................... Chinook Salmon _._._._._. Coho Salmon __ __ __ Pink Salmon Page 5 Skein 1 I BACKGROUND INFORMATION Salmon Life Cycle Needs and Threats Life Cycle NNeeeeddss TThhrreeaattss Stage Habitat Food Predators Other EGG •Head and body •Oxygenated water •Yolk of Egg •Fish, such as: trout, •Gravel movement formation begin •Temperature from char, grayling, •Drastic change in •Organ formation 5° to 9°C burbot, whitefish, water temperature begins (42° to 50° F) sculpin and •Drastic change in •Eyes become •Silt-free gravel bed suckers. water level visible •Steady water flow •Birds, such as: •Siltation •Stream cover kingfisher, gulls, •Fine sediment terns,fish-eating •Disease ducks, shore birds, •Pollution and ducks •Mammals, such as: minks and river otters. ALEVIN •Embryo breaks •Oxygenated water •Yolk sac •Fish, such as: trout, •Gravel movement through egg •Temperature from char, grayling, •Drastic change in membrane 5° to 14°C burbot, whitefish, water temperature •Oxygen absorbed (42° to 60° F) sculpin and •Drastic change in through gills •Silt-free gravel suckers. water level •Lives in gravel •Steady water flow •Birds, such as: •Siltation spaces •Stream cover kingfisher, gulls, •Fine sediment terns, fish-eating •Disease ducks, shore birds, •Pollution and ducks. •Mammals, such as: minks and river otters. FRY •Inflates swim •Oxygenated water •Larval and adult •Fish, such as: trout, •Gravel movement bladder •Temperature from terrestrial and char, grayling, •Drastic change in •Catches food 5° to 14°C aquatic insects, burbot, whitefish, water temperature •Exhibits darting (42° to 60° F) (e.g., mayfly, sheefish, sculpin •Drastic change in reflex •Even water level caddisfly, true flies) and northern pike. water level •Avoids light and flow •Rotting fish •Birds, such as: •Siltation •Guards territory •Stream cover carcasses kingfisher, gulls, •Fine sediment •Imprints home •Fish eggs terns, fish-eating •Disease scent ducks, shore birds, •Pollution •Develops scales ducks and eagles. •Blockage of •Mammals, such as: migration route minks and river otters. Page 6 Skein 1 I Life Cycle NNeeeeddss TThhrreeaattss Stage Habitat Food Predators Other SMOLT •Migrates to •Unpolluted water •Zooplankton •Fish (saltwater), •Filling or dredging estuary in river and (copepods, such as: other of estuary •Adapts to salt estuary amphipods, salmon, pollock •Pollution of water •Estuary vegetation euphausids) and cod. estuary •Scales develop for shelter •Insects, (e.g., •Birds, such as: •Diversion of river silver color beetles, ants, kingfisher, gulls, water •Increases size grasshoppers, terns, fish-eating caterpillars) ducks, sea ducks •Worms and eagles. •Sandfleas •Mammals, such •Shrimp as: otters, seals •Smaller fish and whales. Ocean-Phase Salmon •Ocean water •Zooplankton •Fish (saltwater), •Ocean pollution •Migrates into (copepods, such as: other •Ocean ocean amphipods, salmon, pollock, temperature •Increases size euphausids) cod, lingcod and change •Stocks •Larval sharks. •Fishing intermingle, then crustaceans, (e.g., •Birds, such as: return to natal crab, shrimp) gulls, terns, sea river •Smaller fish ducks and eagles •Mammals, such as: seals, whales, sea lions and people. Spawner •Eggs, milt develop •Migration route •None •Fish: None •Very high or low •Secondary sexual free from •Birds, such as: water levels characteristics obstruction Gulls and Eagles. •Warm river develop (color, •Oxygenated water •Mammals, such temperatures shape, teeth) •Cool clean water as: Seals, whales, •Obstructions •Scales absorbed •Silt-free gravel sea lions, bears, (dams, slides, log •Eating stops wolves and jams, etc.) •Organs people. •Diseases degenerate •Pollution Page 7 Skein 1 P ☞ Have groups of students sort labeled pictures into categories based on their own criteria. Building ☞ Have groups explain their categories to the class, and identify any words they do not know. Provide a definition for unknown words Vocabulary (see Glossary), and make a salmon dictionary on a chart posted in the classroom. Continue to add words to the dictionary from the skeins that follow. ☞ Have students select the pictures showing the salmon’s life cycle and predict what the stage Materials: will be about.  Labeled pictures of various Salmon stages: egg, alevin, fry, smolt, adult, plants, animals and fish for spawner. each group of students  Copies of Handout 1.1, “Salmon ☞ Explain that the Alaska Salmon in the Stages,” for each group, cut into individual illustrations Classroom activities will look at how salmon  Salmon science notebook to develop. If appropriate, outline how you plan to collect materials related to present Alaska Salmon in the Classroom salmon throughout the year. ☞ Have students write their new words in their Time Required: salmon science notebook. One lesson Level of Conceptual Difficulty: Simple Evidence for Assessment: Monitor student ideas and comments to ensure they understand the meaning of basic salmon vocabulary. Page 8 Skein 1 Silvery fish enter the rivers - headed for the spawning areas Change in form and color as they advance Spawner Adult In the fall spawning Alevin hatch salmon deposit eggs in Life Cycle from the egg gravel nests and die of the Pacific Salmon And grow to maturity in (2 to 7 years) Fry emerge the Pacific from the gravel in the spring Enter the Pacific Ocean And grow in the stream Enter the Pacific Ocean Smolt migrate downstream Page 9 Skein 1