The Salmon-Soil Connection
The Salmon Cycle
For millennia, a transfer of nutrients has taken place across the Pacific Northwest. Salmon, born in freshwater streams, journey to the ocean where they accumulate vital nutrients throughout their lives. When they return to spawn, they complete a cycle—bringing ocean-derived nutrients back to inland ecosystems. An elegant example of ecosystem connectivity, these marine-derived nutrients support riparian vegetation, terrestrial organisms, benthic macroinvertebrates, algae,
However, as salmon populations decline across their native range, this crucial nutrient transfer weakens. The ecological consequences can ripple throughout our watersheds, affecting everything from soil health to forest productivity.
The Science Behind Salmon Nutrients
What makes salmon such powerful ecological fertilizers? When salmon complete their lifecycle, their nutrient-rich bodies deliver a blend of elements that inland ecosystems have evolved to depend upon. This is particularly crucial because freshwater ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest tend to be oligotrophic (containing few nutrients), making these marine-derived nutrients an essential influx that significantly enhances the productivity of these rivers.
The impact is far-reaching. Research shows that soil in areas where salmon spawn contains higher concentrations of nitrogen, nitrate, ammonium, phosphorus, total sulfur, magnesium, and sodium (1,2,3,4). These elements create the foundation for healthier, more productive ecosystems.
From Problem to Solution: The Birth of Fish Blooms
This is where Fish Blooms enters the story. Based in Port Angeles, Washington, we collect salmon carcasses from recreational fishing, Fish Blooms to return vital nutrients in our local soils while reducing fishing waste.
Through our fermentation process, Fish Blooms combines salmon remains with kelp and other organic materials to create a garden-ready soil amendment. This process preserves and concentrates the nitrogen, phosphorus, and calcium that make salmon such effective natural fertilizers. The result is a premium organic product that allows home gardeners and farmers to participate in restoring a disrupted ecological cycle.
Why Choose Fish-Based Fertilizers?
The benefits of using salmon-derived nutrients in your garden extend beyond just helping to complete an ecological cycle:
Complete Nutrient Profile: Unlike synthetic fertilizers that often focus on NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) alone, fish-based fertilizers provide a full spectrum of macro and micronutrients in forms that plants can readily use.
Soil Microbial Health: Fish fertilizers feed beneficial soil microorganisms, improving soil structure and creating healthier growing conditions.
Slow-Release Nutrition: The nutrients in fish-based products break down gradually, providing steady nourishment rather than overwhelming plants with nutrients they can't immediately use.
Reduced Environmental Impact: By using a product made from would-be waste, you're reducing waste in fishing practices and using organic gardening principles.
Joining the Cycle
By incorporating Fish Blooms into your garden or farm, you're doing more than just feeding your plants—you're expanding your role in the ecological cycle. You're helping to ensure that the journey of the salmon, which has nourished the Pacific Northwest for thousands of years, continues in a new and sustainable way.
Through thoughtful practices like those championed by Fish Blooms, we can honor these magnificent fish while supporting healthier soils and more productive gardens.
When you tend your garden with Fish Blooms, remember that you're participating in a nutrient cycle from sea to stream to soil and back again. It's a small but meaningful way to restore balance to an ancient relationship between land, sea, and the remarkable fish that connect them.
References:
Larocque, A., & Simard, S. W. (2023). Legacy of salmon-derived nutrients on riparian soil chemistry and soil fertility on the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 6, 1010294
Bartz, K. K., & Naiman, R. J. (2005). Effects of salmon-borne nutrients on riparian soils and vegetation in Southwest Alaska. Ecosystems, 8, 529–545.
Drake, D. C., Naiman, R. J., & Bechtold, J. S. (2006). Fate of nitrogen and phosphorus after the spawning and death of Pacific salmon. BioScience, 56(12), 1030-1040.
Gende, S. M., Miller, A. E., & Hood, E. (2007). The effects of salmon carcasses on soil nitrogen pools in a riparian forest of southeastern Alaska. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 37, 1194–1202.
