by Scott Ronalds

I was walking the dog on the seawall the other night and stumbled across a cool spectacle under the Cambie Bridge. It was called Uninterrupted. Essentially, the bridge was transformed into a movie theatre, with a half-hour film projected onto its underside and pillars. The film took viewers on the migratory journey of the Pacific salmon.

It was a visually stunning way of getting a message across – that we need to help preserve the salmon habitat – and got me thinking more about salmon in general (mission accomplished). I did a bit of research and found that this is one bad-ass fish.

Here’s what I mean.

The salmon has a plan. Here on the west coast, she (or he) is born in a freshwater stream and then migrates down to the ocean where she spends a good portion of her life bulking up. When it’s time to reproduce, she swims upstream, sometimes hundreds or even thousands of kilometers, to spawn in the same waters she was born in. In the days following, she dies, returning nutrients to the environment. Such is the life cycle of the Pacific salmon.*

Along the way, she encounters many challenges. Chief among them is the bear. The salmon doesn’t know when it’s coming, but as she makes her way upstream, she needs to be prepared for a run-in with one of these beasts.

At certain points in the journey, bears may congregate along narrow points of the river to establish a fresh hunting ground all their own. These bear markets can be especially dangerous for the salmon. If she makes a poor leap out of the water or loses confidence, she’ll be lunch. But the salmon isn’t deterred. She’s got a plan – get upstream at all costs – and won’t veer from it.

A tenacious fish, to say the least, with a plan written in stone and a “don’t fear the bear” mentality.

The salmon would be a fantastic investor.

*Source: Pacific Salmon Foundation.