Thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, is critical for salmon health. Juvenile fish can die without enough of the nutrient.
Researchers have known salmon鈥檚 ocean diet impacts their thiamine levels. Scientists at Oregon State University have called 鈥渢hiamine deficiency complex鈥� a growing threat. For example, a diet rich in anchovies rather than sardines can lead to a deficiency.
But for the first time, scientists have measured the vitamin鈥檚 availability in freshwater rivers where the fish deposit eggs.
Christopher Suffridge, a microbiologist at OSU, helped author the that looked at Chinook salmon spawning habitats in California鈥檚 Sacramento River. His team found thiamine present in the river and sediment. And they think that could support salmon development.
He says it鈥檚 something to consider in salmon restoration efforts.
鈥淲e believe that including the microbes that live in the river and in the river gravels is important in understanding what makes a successful spawning habitat,鈥� says Suffridge.
Several dams are coming down on the Klamath River along the Oregon-California border in 2024 with a goal of restoring salmon populations.
Suffridge says success could also depend on the ecology of the river鈥檚 floor where thiamine pools can support newly hatched fish.
