Environmental Graffiti

The Great Salmon Migration

Diadromous is not a word one hears every day, but this word is in fact the key to one of nature's most startling migrations – that of the Pacific salmon. From the warm climes of the northern Sunshine State (California, that is) and the cool coniferous forests of British Columbia, to the chilling waters of the Bering Strait, these fish yearly perform migrations that cover thousands of miles.

Continue reading...

The Great Sardine Run and the Largest Gathering of Predators on Earth

Some animal events are so epic that they jolt us from our fallacious seat at the centre of the universe. When shoals of sardines materialise containing billions of individual fish, we’re in the realm of an ocean megalopolis – except one that travels as a single biomass fifteen miles long, visible from space. This is the sublime and scarcely comprehensible story of the great sardine run, which also represents the largest gathering of predators on the planet.

Continue reading...