A Sockeye's Destiny

Digital Photography on Metal
This past July hosted a later than normal salmon run at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park. Due to the late snowstorms and melting snow, the river did not warm to 50 degrees till the middle of July. When the water is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit the salmon do not have the energy to ascend the falls to their spawning grounds. As the waters warmed, the salmon began to jump, and the bears began to feast. Sockeye salmon is one of the main foods that Alaskan coastal brown bears eat. One salmon can weigh four to six pounds and yield 4,500 calories. This food source helps bears pack on the weight during the month of July at Brooks. These bears have been known to eat 15-20 sockeye on an average day with the larger bears eating 35-40 in a day. One bear, Otis, holds the record for eating 42 sockeyes in a five-hour period. Although this photo does not depict Otis, it does depict #821 Pepper, a young eight-year-old male. Brooks Falls and River in Katmai National Park is one the most important waterways in all of Alaska for the coastal brown bears. Making sure projects such as the Pebble Mine do not continue to be developed is very important. A project of this nature would not only alter the landscape, but it would destroy the largest salmon run in history as well as possibly decimate the coastal brown bear population of Alaska. Protecting our waterways is imperative for nature to flourish. This image is printed on metal & hung with a black frame and wire.