Returning scents

[Jennie@ifish]

I had to get out of bed to write this down.

I was laying in bed, listening to the rain coming down, and I my mind started wandering to the river... (nothing new!)

But think of this... and tell me if it has been thought of, or studied.

So, the fish, four years ago, were affected by floods... but when they learned to distinguish the scent of their return, (What? Four month old hatchlings? I dunno) what were the water conditions like?

So, when they learn that smell, and imprint it, ... oh shoot, how do I say this?

Do the conditions need to mimic the conditions, four years later upon their return?

For instance, say when they were in the imprint process, they learned to pick up smells from a certain shore level, from a particular turbidity due to a certain flow, or water level.

So, upon return, do they wait until the river, at that particular location is at that particular stage, so that those conditions and smells flow downriver and signal their return?

Does that make sense, or am I having nightmares again? :smile:

OK... I can go back to bed now, but this just occured to me, and I want to study it! :smile: :smile: :smile:

Dang, I hate when my brain won't quit... Especially when it's raining, and all I can think of is salmon this, and salmon that!

:shrug: Jen

[sparkleboy]

What you're wondering does make sense. I've often thought of simliar things. But you have to consider that there are always constants: There are always certain tributaries flowing into a main stream; there are always certain types of plants and algaes growing in a river; there are always the same long stretches of gravel where the fish hatched and grew. That's what I think about. I'm taking a steelhead fishing class (the coolest class ever!) at OSU, and my professor said even Ph. Level may have a factor. And being as fish can smell in parts per billion...well, I'd have to say a small change in Ph. level in rivers would be fairly easily detected by fish. Don't you think?

[salmurai]

They don't use scents, they use GPS. Like Global Positioning Sense for Global Positioning Salmon!!! GOOD MORNING JENNIE!!!

[sparkleboy]

Originally posted by salmurai:
They don't use scents, they use GPS. Like Global Positioning Sense for Global Positioning Salmon!!! GOOD MORNING JENNIE!!! <font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">LOL! That's an awesome reply, right there, I'm giving up on what I said :grin:

[Irie1]

From what I've gathered every body of water has distinct micro-organisms called diatoms(sp). So I'ld imagine that with the fishees micro-sniffers, there should be no worries. Hakuna matata :dance: