West coast experiencing decreasing trends in salmon spawning

Public release date: 3-Jul-2012
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Contact: Randall M. Peterman
Peterman@sfu.ca
Canadian Science Publishing (NRC Research Press)

Ottawa, Ontario (July 3, 2012) The number of adult sockeye salmon produced per spawner has been decreasing over the last decade or more along the western coast of North America, from Washington state up through British Columbia and southeast Alaska. A new study published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences says that this widespread decrease in productivity has important implications for management of salmon stocks and requires research into its potential causes to help determine future management strategies.

"It is possible that the downward trends in productivity across the sockeye stocks south of central Alaska result from a variety of causes, such as freshwater habitat degradation or contaminants, that have each independently affected many small regions," says Randall Peterman. "However, the large spatial extent of similar time trends in productivity for over 25 stocks has occurred in both relatively pristine and heavily disturbed habitats. This suggests that shared mechanisms are a more likely explanation for example, high mortality owing to predators, pathogens, or poor food supply that occurs across Washington, B.C., southeast Alaska, and the Yakutat region of Alaska."

The authors analyzed productivity of 64 sockeye salmon populations and found that the decline in productivity of Fraser River, British Columbia sockeye salmon was not unique to that river system, and that productivity has also declined rapidly in many other populations since the 1990s. The authors also found that the region with downward trends in productivity has spread further north over the past two decades, an observation that is consistent with large-scale changes in climate-driven oceanographic patterns that were previously implicated as drivers of sockeye productivity.

The study "A widespread decrease in productivity of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) populations in western North America" appears in the August issue of Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.

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For more information contact: Corresponding author: Randall M. Peterman (e-mail: Peterman@sfu.ca).

Full Reference: Peterman, R.M., and Dorner B. A widespread decrease in productivity of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) populations in western North America. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 69(8): 1255-1260, doi: 10.1139/ F2012-063. [This article is available Open Access at http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/F2012-063]

About the Publisher

NRC Research Press, which began as the publishing arm of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) in 1929, transitioned in September 2010 from NRC and the Federal Government of Canada into an independent not-for-profit organization operating under the new name Canadian Science Publishing. Canadian Science Publishing (which continues to operate its journals under the brand NRC Research Press) is the foremost scientific publisher in Canada, publishing 15 of its own journals and providing advanced electronic publishing services to its clients. With over 50 highly skilled experts and an editorial team comprising some of the world's leading researchers, NRC Research Press (Canadian Science Publishing) communicates scientific discoveries to over 175 countries.

Disclaimer: Canadian Science Publishing operates under the brand NRC Research Press but is not affiliated with the National Research Council Canada. Papers published by Canadian Science Publishing are peer-reviewed by experts in their field. The views of the authors in no way reflect the opinions of Canadian Science Publishing or the National Research Council of Canada. Requests for commentary about the contents of any study should be directed to the authors. PLEASE CITE Canadian Science Publishing (operating under the brand NRC Research Press), AND OUR WEBSITE, http://nrcresearchpress.com, AS THE SOURCE OF THE PREVIOUS ITEM. IF PUBLISHING ONLINE, PLEASE CARRY A HYPERLINK TO http://nrcresearchpress.com/action/showNews?filter=recent.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 3-Jul-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Randall M. Peterman
Peterman@sfu.ca
Canadian Science Publishing (NRC Research Press)

Ottawa, Ontario (July 3, 2012) The number of adult sockeye salmon produced per spawner has been decreasing over the last decade or more along the western coast of North America, from Washington state up through British Columbia and southeast Alaska. A new study published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences says that this widespread decrease in productivity has important implications for management of salmon stocks and requires research into its potential causes to help determine future management strategies.

"It is possible that the downward trends in productivity across the sockeye stocks south of central Alaska result from a variety of causes, such as freshwater habitat degradation or contaminants, that have each independently affected many small regions," says Randall Peterman. "However, the large spatial extent of similar time trends in productivity for over 25 stocks has occurred in both relatively pristine and heavily disturbed habitats. This suggests that shared mechanisms are a more likely explanation for example, high mortality owing to predators, pathogens, or poor food supply that occurs across Washington, B.C., southeast Alaska, and the Yakutat region of Alaska."

The authors analyzed productivity of 64 sockeye salmon populations and found that the decline in productivity of Fraser River, British Columbia sockeye salmon was not unique to that river system, and that productivity has also declined rapidly in many other populations since the 1990s. The authors also found that the region with downward trends in productivity has spread further north over the past two decades, an observation that is consistent with large-scale changes in climate-driven oceanographic patterns that were previously implicated as drivers of sockeye productivity.

The study "A widespread decrease in productivity of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) populations in western North America" appears in the August issue of Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.

###

For more information contact: Corresponding author: Randall M. Peterman (e-mail: Peterman@sfu.ca).

Full Reference: Peterman, R.M., and Dorner B. A widespread decrease in productivity of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) populations in western North America. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 69(8): 1255-1260, doi: 10.1139/ F2012-063. [This article is available Open Access at http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/F2012-063]

About the Publisher

NRC Research Press, which began as the publishing arm of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) in 1929, transitioned in September 2010 from NRC and the Federal Government of Canada into an independent not-for-profit organization operating under the new name Canadian Science Publishing. Canadian Science Publishing (which continues to operate its journals under the brand NRC Research Press) is the foremost scientific publisher in Canada, publishing 15 of its own journals and providing advanced electronic publishing services to its clients. With over 50 highly skilled experts and an editorial team comprising some of the world's leading researchers, NRC Research Press (Canadian Science Publishing) communicates scientific discoveries to over 175 countries.

Disclaimer: Canadian Science Publishing operates under the brand NRC Research Press but is not affiliated with the National Research Council Canada. Papers published by Canadian Science Publishing are peer-reviewed by experts in their field. The views of the authors in no way reflect the opinions of Canadian Science Publishing or the National Research Council of Canada. Requests for commentary about the contents of any study should be directed to the authors. PLEASE CITE Canadian Science Publishing (operating under the brand NRC Research Press), AND OUR WEBSITE, http://nrcresearchpress.com, AS THE SOURCE OF THE PREVIOUS ITEM. IF PUBLISHING ONLINE, PLEASE CARRY A HYPERLINK TO http://nrcresearchpress.com/action/showNews?filter=recent.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-07/csp-wce070312.php

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