Subscribe now

Life

Hybrid salmon found in Canada may be a result of climate change

Salmon found near the mouth of the Cowichan river on Vancouver Island are a hybrid species of coho and Chinook, which may have arisen as the timing and location of their spawning grounds overlapped

By Jake Buehler

23 November 2021

Hybrid. Adult fish.

An adult salmon that is a hybrid of the coho and Chinook species

Will Duguid

Hybrid salmon have emerged near Vancouver Island in Canada, possibly due to environmental changes in the waterways where they hatched.

Andres Araujo at Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Nanaimo and his colleagues analysed the genes of salmon surveyed mostly within the Strait of Georgia, which separates Vancouver Island from the mainland, between 2013 and 2019. They found that samples from what they assumed to be young Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) had unusual genetic markers. More sampling and…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox! We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, subscribe today with our introductory offers

View introductory offers

No commitment, cancel anytime*

Offer ends 2nd of July 2024.

*Cancel anytime within 14 days of payment to receive a refund on unserved issues.

Inclusive of applicable taxes (VAT)

or

Existing subscribers

Sign in to your account