Salmon that bears would fight over
Thank goodness we don’t have to fish for salmon. It is done for us and delivered several times a week to ensure we have the freshest salmon available.
For some, a salmon evokes the distant wild, thrashing in the jaws of a hungry grizzly bear on TV. For others, it’s the catch of the day on a restaurant menu, or a deep red fillet at the market. For others still, it’s the jolt of adrenaline on a successful fishing trip. Our fascination with these superlative fish is as old as humanity itself. Long a source of sustenance among native peoples, salmon is now more popular than ever. Fish hatcheries and farms serve modern appetites with a domesticated “product”—while wild runs of salmon dwindle across the globe. How has this once-abundant resource reached this point, and what can we do to safeguard wild populations for future generations? - excerpt from an Amazon summary of the book Upstream
Brown bears, especially those that live in coastal areas, often hunt for salmon. These bears display a range of fishing techniques.
Stand and wait: Bears will stand on top of waterfalls and wait for sockeye salmon to jump close enough to catch in their mouths. This fishing technique is generally used by adult bears that can defend this fishing spot, but it is also used by some younger bears when space is available. This is a good technique to use when many salmon are jumping at waterfalls, but when no salmon are jumping this spot is quickly abandoned. Standing on top of the falls is precarious. Bears sometimes fall off so they rarely shift position once they have established a place to stand.
Sit and wait: Bears will sit just underneath waterfalls in several places, like the plunge pool or “jacuzzi,” and wait for salmon to swim to them. Bears in the jacuzzi simply sit and wait for fish to swim into them. When they feel a fish in the water, they quickly pin it to the stream bottom or against their body with their paws, bite it, and begin to eat. The plunge pools below the falls are the most coveted fishing spots and are typically occupied by the most dominant bears.
Dash and grab: Bears often chase fish and attempt to pin them to the river bottom with their paws. This is commonly used early in the salmon run, but because this technique is energetically costly it is quickly abandoned when the salmon run begins to thin.
Snorkeling: Bears that snorkel are simply looking for fish under the water. This technique is used almost universally by bears throughout the summer, but it is especially common and useful in the fall when many dead and dying salmon are in the water.
Pirating: Pirating bears steal fish from other bears. Pirating is more common early in the salmon run, but is not often observed in September or October. The threat of piracy will cause certain bears (like smaller subadults) to run with their fish away from the river and into the forest where they are less likely to have their fish stolen.
Diving: This is a fishing technique that most bears do not use. However, at the mouth of a river or even in the jacuzzi at waterfalls, you might see a bear completely submerge seeking fish. Diving is used more frequently in the fall with dead salmon littering the river bottom.
Begging: Bears do not share food with other bears, but some bears will still attempt to beg from others. This interaction occurs between bears that are highly tolerant of each other. Begging bears approach another (usually more dominant) bear eating fish and often position themselves inches away from the other bear. If a begging bear gets any fish, it is usually leftover scraps (gill plates, mandibles, and entrails) that the other bear doesn’t want. Begging bears often vocalize loudly, making noise reminiscent of a bawling cub. Begging is not a common behavior.