The Editor,
Soon, we will be able to view the spectacle of tens of thousands of salmon returning to local streams and rivers to deposit the next generation among the gravel and then perish in the fast-flowing waters.
To most people, this is another wonder of nature to be enjoyed as time permits. But there is a real mystery here that defies comprehension as questions lead to only vague speculation.
Why would this fish leave the comparative safety of the ocean to pass through the salt-to-fresh water barrier to lay eggs? This barrier is fatal to most fish but salmon pass through it twice in their lives. Could it be that despite having to survive the gauntlet of dangers that their last journey entails, salmon give their young a better chance of survival in this fresh water environment than spawning in the ocean?
Millions of adult salmon travel the Pacific Ocean for three or four years before something signals them to return to the place where they were born. Do they actually use the Earth's magnetic lines to navigate to the coast so far away? Once at the coast, does their amazing sense of smell lead them to the place where they began?
Yes, these and more questions lead one to wonder if we have a real mystery here.
Or is it a miracle?
Cliff Kelsey, Coquitlam
