After migrating thousands of miles to mate, chum salmon feed Alaska’s ecosystem

During breeding season, Alaska’s chum salmon abandon their instinct for survival and transform into creatures singularly focused on mating. After their perilous migrations to spawning grounds, frequently thousands of miles away, the salmon die, becoming food for animals of the air, land and water, or decomposing into the ground. Shot over three weeks, Paul Klaver’s breathtaking film combines time-lapse and conventional photography to chronicle the chum salmon’s annual journey through the Yukon River. The result is a powerful vision of the cyclical processes of vast ecosystems, and the inherent balance of the natural world.