Osprey Prey Welcome! You are encouraged to register with the site and login (for free). When you register, you support the site and your question history is saved.Seattle's osprey population has been declining in recent years, primarily because of hunting, both legal and illegal. Osprey prey heavily on salmon, a fish that is prized as food by the coastal population, who had hoped at least that the decline in the osprey population would lead to an increase in salmon for human consumption. Yet the naturally occurring population of salmon has also declined, even though the annual number caught for human consumption has not increased.Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the decline in the population of the salmon? The decline in the osprey population has meant that fishers can work in some parts of lakes and rivers that were formerly too congested. Over the last few years, Seattle's commercial fishing enterprises have increased the number of fishing boats they use. A primary predator of salmon is the American eel, on which osprey also prey. Many Seattle residents who hunt osprey do so because of the high market price of osprey plumage, not because of the threat osprey pose to the natural salmon population. In neighboring stretches of coastline near Seattle, osprey are endangered as a result of extensive hunting. Review Answer