Lecture on Climate and Salmon

Salmon spawning.\Photo by Cathy Tronquet.

Rebecca Flitcroft, a fish biologist with the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station, will speak on how climate change may affect salmon on Saturday, Nov. 10, 1 p.m. in the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center (2400 Hwy 101, about three miles south of Yachats).  The talk is free and open to the public, although a day pass is required to park at the visitor center.

Salmon are iconic in part because of the many environments they move through and the many challenges they confront. From their spawning in the headwaters of streams and rivers to the far reaches of the Pacific and back again, they cope with diverse situations. How will climate change alter those circumstances and send the salmon into uncharted waters?

Flitcroft, whose work addresses this question, will share her latest research and offer her assessment during this lecture, delving into the genetic lineage of salmon to unearth clues that may provide for adaptations necessary to the species’ survival. Dr. Flitcroft’s research focuses on aquatic systems from river headwaters to the ocean. Her analysis bridges the connection of stream networks and estuaries to the aquatic species that depend upon them.  She will discuss the development and adaptation of salmon to the Pacific Northwest environment, and the changes we may see in the future.

For more information contact capeperpetuacommunications@gmail.com