Abstract

Overview

The concept of animals using Earth's magnetic field to orient themselves has been documented in various species, but the specifics of this phenomenon, especially in marine animals like pink salmon, are not fully understood.

Findings

• A "magnetic displacement" experiment was conducted with juvenile pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha).
• The experiment aimed to determine if the salmon used geomagnetic cues to navigate towards their home, the center of their oceanic range, or along their migratory route.
• Results indicated that the salmon's navigation aligns significantly with their natural migratory directions, as historically recorded through tagging and catch data.

Conclusion

This research underlines that the large-scale movements of pink salmon across the North Pacific may be predominantly influenced by their innate ability to use geomagnetic map cues. This ability could potentially forecast key behaviors in the oceanic ecology of pink salmon and other marine species.