Climate effects on pacific salmon in the ocean – creating a canadian focus

Description

The first part of this report reviews literature on Pacific salmon. The following themes have emerged; carrying capacity: bottom-up control; fisheries and predation: top-down control; the influence of salmon hatcheries; the effects of competition and density-dependence; the existence of a critical phase in the ocean; different salmon production regimes in space and time; and changes in salmon growth and energetics.

The second part of this report examines the lead Research institutions and universities with significant salmon climate projects.

This report shows that research conducted over the last 15 years has opened up a new understanding of how nature regulates the production of salmon in the oceans. The implication of this knowledge is that salmon populations can now be understood in the context of an ecosystem framework. This ecosystem-level understanding requires that research and management be conducted with more integrative and long-term approaches.

Given the type of research that has been done regarding the effects of climate variation and change on oceanic salmon populations, and the nature of the organisations conducting such work, guidelines are provided for the construction of a Canadian-based research institute designed to provide timely and useful advice to relevant federal and provincial ministries, user groups, and the public at large. By hosting such an institute, Canadian research would provide the context within which other nations frame the debate over and conclusions upon managing salmon stocks in the North Pacific.

–Excerpt from the report’s Executive Summary