The Web Of Life

Fish Grow on Forests and Forests Grow on Fish

Orcas cruise through a sheltered bay
© Parks Canada / Donald Gunn, 2003

Species of the sea and land are totally reliant on one another, making marine and forest ecosystems one complex web of life. Salmon penetrate into the heart of Gwaii Haanas forest, up creeks held together with the roots of Sitka spruce. Upon spawning, they die and their bodies are hauled up on the land by scavengers such as bears and eagles. These animals redistribute the nutrients and make them available to other species in the forest. Migrating birds feed on blowflies. Bears leave carcasses at the base of Sitka spruce trees whose roots are fertilized. The exchange of nutrients works both ways, as the fish require the nutrients and stability of the forest for the rearing of their young. In the intertidal, crabs, plankton and barnacles feed on the flow of nutrients from the forest as the rains and creeks flush the land. Out at sea, salmon are food for many sea mammals and other fish.