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Salmon bring a limiting factor to growth (phosphorous if I remember correctly) from the ocean to the land, then the bears and other animals eat them and distribute it throughout the forests through their dung. (The Native Americans around the PNW had a name for this but we just figured they were talking about nature spirits or something.)

Cars -> tire dust -> dead salmon -> reduced phosphorous -> sick forest



Not to worry, we are putting plenty of phosphorous into most waterways.


Do they bring that significant of an amount in the one time a year they come to breed?


I read a recent article[0] that corroborates this.

> certain tree species' ability to grow up to three times faster when supported by the nutrients salmon bring to a forest's ecosystem

[0] https://www.npr.org/sections/the-picture-show/2024/09/03/g-s...


Nope. Fish is not the main source of phosphorus, it's the rock weathering.




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