One hundred thirty individuals, including children and elected representatives, gathered today at PKOLS-Mount Douglas for the 24th annual Salmon Carcass Transplant event. After coffee and hot chocolate, Tom Rutherford explained the importance of this keystone species. This was followed by a welcome from Hereditary Chief WEC’KINEM (Eric Pelkey) of SȾÁUTW̱ (Tsawout), signalling that the public could begin placing salmon carcasses in the creek.
Transplanting salmon carcasses into Douglas Creek simulates the ecological process that occurs naturally in a healthy stream ecosystem when salmon return to their natal creeks to spawn en masse, complete their life cycle, and die, leaving behind carcasses that are highly nutrient-rich. This natural process is how marine nutrients return to terrestrial ecosystems through the breakdown of returning salmon carcasses that have spent years feeding in the Pacific Ocean.
Although Douglas Creek has seen returns of salmon each year since restoration work began, including a record-breaking return in the fall of 2024, the numbers have not (yet!) reached their full potential, so the annual Douglas Creek Salmon Carcass Transplant continues. The transplanted carcasses also attract scavengers such as river otters, raccoons, eagles, and ravens, which help distribute nutrients more widely across PKOLS (Mount Douglas Park), further enriching the ecosystem.
A notable study* published last year by researchers at Simon Fraser University examined the impact of nutrients from salmon carcasses on the growth of native coastal plants. The research showed that wildflowers (including Douglas’ aster, Common red paintbrush, Common yarrow, and Silverweed) in areas where salmon carcasses had been dispersed grew larger leaves and larger flowers, directly benefiting pollinators that depend on these plant species.
Western science is beginning to recognize the insights of Traditional Ecological Knowledge that Coast Salish Nations have held for millennia. These findings underscore the vital connection between marine and terrestrial ecosystems, reminding us that salmon are a keystone species working to bridge the gap between land and sea even after death.cal systems with the creek and park.
*[Dennert, A.M., Elle, E. and Reynolds, J.D. (2023) ‘Experimental addition of marine-derived nutrients affects wildflower traits in a coastal meta-ecosystem’, Royal Society Open Science, 10(1). doi:10.1098/rsos.221008. ]
