Salmon - Coming Home

Object of the Activity

The object of this activity is to learn about how the salmon find their home stream after being out in the open ocean as many as six years, The Brooks river provides a place where scientist study the homing instincts of this amazing fish!

To do this you will:

• Research the video, texts and the Internet to collect information on the salmon life cycle and identify its stages.
• Conduct a fun activity to see how the role of smell is critical to the homing instinct of the salmon.
• List hazards that a salmon encounters in its journey to sea and back to its home stream.

Steps to Follow:

1. Your teacher will give you the materials needed to see if you can find your originating stream by using your sense of smell.
2. Once completed complete a journal entry which takes an imaginary salmon from the mouth of the Brooks River to the ocean and back again.
3. What the effects of the polluting chemical might have on the salmons homing instinct?

Working Tips:

Read as a group the Hot Links to find out more about a salmon's life cycle and the possible hazards that prevent many from returning to their spawning ground.