What began as a way to avoid counting the same dead fish twice became a long-running demonstration of how salmon nourish ecosystems. For two decades, researchers working alongside a small stream in southwest Alaska consistently tossed the carcasses of spawning sockeye salmon onto the same riverbank after recording them. By the end of the experiment, nearly 600,000 pounds (about 272,000 kg) of salmon had accumulated on one side of the Hansen Creek, creating a natural fertiliser that boosted the growth of nearby spruce trees. According to the University of Washington , the accidental experiment revealed how nutrients carried inland by spawning salmon can reshape vegetation, thus providing rare long-term evidence of the intimate connection between rivers and surrounding woodlands.
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