Pacific salmon are returning earlier as ocean temperatures warm, disrupting the synchrony between salmon runs and the bears, eagles, and ecosystems that depend on them.
Bears and eagles that miss peak salmon runs due to timing mismatches arrive at hibernation or winter with reduced fat reserves. Individual animals that cannot adapt their behavior quickly enough to track shifting salmon timing face starvation risk. The cascading effects of phenological mismatches on predator welfare demonstrate how climate change affects animal wellbeing through disrupted ecosystem relationships rather than direct physical effects alone.