Estuaries are the most biodiverse and productive wetlands, serving as salmon nurseries

Evidence

Situated at the meeting point between ecosystems, with a mix of river, ocean, forest, soil, sand, and sunlight at this edge of all edges, estuaries can have the highest biodiversity and productivity of any wetland. They are a breeding ground for invertebrates of all sorts. The dense sponge of vegetation and sediment is riddled with channels of all sizes, matching the sizes of salmon that are coming and going through its network. The estuary is a nursery for salmon, from tiny fry just days out of the redd to fattening smolt adjusting to salt water. — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass, 890

Categorization

• XREF: Grounds ecosystem services and ecological literacy claims: estuaries as keystone meeting-places parallel the Three Sisters as edge of all edges. — connects to: Salmon require gradual brackish estuaries to survive their saltwater transition — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom,…, 892

Broader Connections

• Salmon require gradual brackish estuaries to survive their saltwater transition #expands (0.90) — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass, 892