Salmon Said to Navigate by Magnetism

UPI ^ | Feb. 7, 2013

[nickcarraway]

Researchers at Oregon State University report their studies suggest salmon use magnetism to find their way to their home rivers during spawning migrations.

Sockeye salmon typically swim as much as 4,000 miles into the ocean and then, years later, can navigate back to the upstream reaches of the river in which they were born to spawn their young, they said.

Writing in the journal Current Biology, the researchers suggest salmon find those home rivers by sensing the river's unique magnetic signature.

They studied the routes salmon had taken from their ocean destinations, mostly near Alaska or the Aleutian Islands in the Pacific, to the mouth of their home river -- the Fraser River in British Columbia, Canada.

Then they gathered data on the intensity of the Earth's magnetic field at pivotal locations in the salmon's migratory route.

"These results are consistent with the idea that juvenile salmon imprint on [i.e., learn and remember] the magnetic signature of their home river, and then seek that same magnetic signature during their spawning migration," Oregon post-doctoral researcher Nathan Putman said.

Most salmon make the round-trip migration, which may total 8,000 miles, only once in their lives, typically dying soon after spawning, the researchers said.

[razorback-bert]

I read the title as Solomon uses magnetism, guess I need to go to bed.

[Pikachu_Dad]

Perhaps they use breadcrumbs...

[Secret Agent Man]

I don’t doubt it at all.

Birds have compounds in their eyes that they can actually see the earth’s magnetic field lines that help guide them in migration. Apparently can really see the lines well around twilight times.

[Vendome]

Must be because of their personality...

[FatherofFive]

They die after spawning.

reminds me of the old joke - why do men die earlier than women? Because they want to.

[shibumi]

"...salmon use magnetism ..."

And I hear tell that flies use maggotism.

[Rocky]

I have read that the earth’s magnetic field sometimes reverses, and that during the transition, the magnetic field greatly diminishes. I wonder what happens to such homing devices in salmon and in birds during such episodes?

[green pastures]

I have read that, too. I don’t think we’ve experienced a reversal in modern times, however. I believe that will really mess with electronics, communications, etc. Sort of a natural, mega-EMP.

But there’ve been a lot of fairly recent (within the last few years) major die offs of birds and fish and ... The first link is about birds that mistook a Walmart parking lot for water...

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/12/thousands-of-birds-die-after-crash-landing-in-utah-parking-lot.html

http://www.geekosystem.com/dead-birds-louisiana/

http://abcnews.go.com/International/page?id=12565986

http://www.naturalnews.com/030985_mysterious_deaths_birds.html

[Salamander]

[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
Thanks nickcarraway. Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.