Originally seen in Fish’n Canada’s Week in Review
Another story revolving around rare animal sightings, a Pink Salmon has been spotted just 65km south of Iqaluit, Nunavut – thousands of kilometres north of its typical home range.
Pink Salmon are common along Canada’s west coast and, through stocking, are now found in the eastern waters of the Great Lakes, Quebec, Labrador, and Nova Scotia. Never before, however, have they been found as north as Nunavut.
In an interview with Nunatisaq News, fisheries biologist, Karen Dunmall, states that “pink salmon normally prefer warmer waters than the Arctic has been able to provide. But with the Arctic warming at up to three times the rate of the rest of the world, its waters are becoming more approachable for newcomers like this species.”
However, although the waters may be warm enough for these fish to survive towards the end of the summer, the temperatures these fish need to spawn will soon disappear, making a sustainable arctic population of Pink Salmon highly unlikely any time soon.
This excerpt was taken from Fish’n Canada’s Week in Review, our weekly recap of all things relevant to the Canadian outdoorsman. For more stories like this, check out the full article below and tune back in every Friday to catch up on everything you missed!
