International Year of the Salmon (IYS) Wrap-Up Symposium 2022

The International Year of the Salmon (IYS) Wrap-Up Symposium will be held October 4-6, 2022 in Vancouver, Canada. 2022 is the final year of the International Year of the Salmon.

The Symposium will be held over three days in the heart of majestic Vancouver, Canada during the splendor of Fall.

The International Year of the Salmon (IYS) Wrap-Up Symposium will be held in-person and provide an opportunity for salmon scientists, managers, and knowledge holders to build connections after an extended period of limited travel and virtual meetings.

The Wrap-Up Symposium theme will be ‘Salmon in a Rapidly Changing World: Synthesis of the International Year of the Salmon and a Roadmap to 2030.’

The International Year of the Salmon (IYS), a five-year initiative established in 2018 and governed by the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC) and North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO), has explored the conditions necessary for the resilience of salmon and people in a changing world.

The IYS is bringing together participants from academia, government, industry, NGOs and Indigenous organizations to consider the progress made by the IYS, and discuss the actions necessary to enable progress towards these conditions over the next decade.

The IYS Synthesis Symposium: ‘Salmon in a Rapidly Changing World: Synthesis of the International Year of the Salmon and a Roadmap to 2030’ is the culmination of over 13 workshops and symposia, three historic High Seas Expeditions and over 80 associated events across the North Atlantic and North Pacific basins.

The IYS Synthesis Symposium will have a strong focus on forward looking perspectives, with the ultimate goal of developing a Roadmap for the resilience of salmon and people through to 2030.

Presentations will be organized under five of the IYS themes:

Status of Salmon
Information Systems
Salmon in a Changing Salmosphere
New Frontiers
Human Dimensions

The synthesis papers and the presentations given during the Symposium will be used to identify critical knowledge or method gaps and potential solutions.

The Symposium will be hosted by The North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (nasco.int) and The North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (npafc.org).

For more information, visit: yearofthesalmon.org

Salmon Ocean Ecology Meeting 2016

Salmon Ocean Ecology Meeting 2016
March 29-31, 2016
Baranof Westmark Hotel & Conference Center, Juneau, AK
phone: 1-800-544-0970
 www.westmarkhotels.com/destinations/juneau-hotel/
 
The Salmon Ocean Ecology Meeting brings together salmon researchers from the coasts of Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California.

source: Alaska Fisheries Science Center

2014 Pacific Salmon Predictions

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) recently released predictions for the 2014 salmon season off the West Coast of the United States.

North of Cape Falcon

The 2014 Columbia River tule Chinook forecasts are improved from 2013 at 110,000, and combined fall Chinook returns are expected to be over a million fish. The hatchery coho forecasts for the Columbia River are greatly improved from 2013. In addition, the forecast for Oregon coastal natural (OCN) coho is 230,000.

North of Cape Falcon, Columbia River hatchery coho returns were 316,000, well below the forecast of 525,000. Columbia River Chinook returns, however, were among the highest on record, and upriver fall Chinook returned at levels nearly double the expected levels.

California and Southern Oregon

Central Valley fall Chinook are forecast at over 630,000, providing salmon fishing opportunity while allowing estimated spawning escapements over 300,000. The minimum conservation goal is 122,000 – 180,000 spawning adult salmon.

The conservation goal, or escapement goal, is the optimal number of adult fish returning to spawn in order to maximize the production of the stock.

Also in California, the ocean abundance forecast for Klamath River Fall Chinook is nearly 300,000, providing reasonable sport and commercial harvest while meeting the minimum natural spawning goal of 40,700, and the 2014 management objective of an ocean harvest rate of no more than 16 percent.

source: Pacific Fishery Management Council

Yuba River Salmon Viewing Tours

In October, nature enthusiasts can experience unique salmon-viewing opportunities on California's Yuba River. California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will host tours on Saturdays in October.

The fall run of king salmon as they return from the sea to spawn in the Yuba River east of Marysville can be enjoyed by participants via access provided by the University of California Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center. Ninety minute tours beginning at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. will explore a section of the Yuba River featuring scenic vistas and close proximity to salmon spawning beds.

The tour will focus on the salmon lifecycle and its natural history. While salmon will be the primary focus, participants may be able to view wildlife such as bald eagles, osprey, mergansers, kingfishers and American dippers.

Advance registration via the CDFW website is required at www.dfg.ca.gov/regions/2/salmontours. Space is limited to 30 per tour with supervised children allowed. Participants are encouraged to dress for changeable weather and to bring drinking water and snacks. Bringing binoculars is also suggested although a spotting scope and some loaner binoculars will be available.

source: California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Oregon Governor’s Fund for the Environment Grants

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) recently announced the availability of Oregon Governor’s Fund for the Environment grants.

2013 grants will focus on long term conservation of the state’s wild salmon strongholds, which represent some of Oregon’s most productive and intact aquatic ecosystems and sustain the state’s largest and most diverse runs of salmon and other native aquatic species.

Oregon’s seven recognized strongholds include: the Tillamook/Nehalem, Illinois, North Umpqua, Sandy/Clackamas, Lower Deschutes, North Fork John Day, and Lower Grand Ronde (Joseph Creek, Minam River, and Wenaha River) watersheds. Salmon populations found in these systems support a variety of recreational, commercial, and Tribal fisheries.

Grant proposals requesting up to $75,000 in grant funds are being invited to support two types of projects in and across the state’s seven salmon strongholds:

1) on-the-ground habitat improvements in strongholds;

2) programmatic activities that seek to prevent the continued loss and degradation of habitats.

All projects must address the key limiting factors or threats that have been identified in existing watershed plans or assessments as bottlenecks to salmonid abundance. Approximately $300,000 in grant funds is anticipated to be awarded through this grant round.

Pre-proposals should be submitted by November 28, 2012 through NFWF’s online application system, Easygrants. Pre-proposals will be evaluated and ranked, and the strongest projects will be invited to submit full proposals due on January 31, 2013.
Full proposal applicants will be notified of grant awards by April 2013, with funds available for projects shortly thereafter. Approved projects should be completed within two years.

Eligible applicants include non-profit conservation organizations, watershed councils, soil and water conservation districts, tribes, schools, local, state and federal government agencies, and other special districts.

Applicants should log onto NFWF’s Oregon Governor’s Fund for the Environment program webpage at www.nfwf.org/orgovfund to review proposal criteria and requirements and to submit a pre-proposal.

source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Fishing May Result in Smaller Alaskan Salmon

According to research published on newscientist.com, fishing has driven evolution of smaller Alaskan salmon. A study by Neala Kendall at the University of Washington in Seattle sorted through data from canneries on the size and age at maturation of the sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka) fished from five fisheries in Bristol bay, Alaska, since 1943.

The researcher found that the fish had become 14 millimeters shorter on average. Moreover, the number of fish that spent two rather than three years in the ocean before returning to fresh water to spawn increased by 16 per cent.

Fishing for the largest sockeyes is the likely culprit, says Kendall, because fishing targets larger fish. Many of these are breeding females, and removing them from the population also eliminates their eggs. Body size is a heritable trait, so the genes within those eggs – some of which are associated with late maturing and large body size – are also lost.

According to the study, fishing-induced evolutionary changes could also explain why the population of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in the southern Gulf of St Lawrence has been unable to rebound since the fisheries there collapsed almost three decades ago. As with sockeye, cod fishers harvested the largest fish, including breeding females.

The lucrative Bristol bay sockeye industry brought in $5 billion between 1950 and 2008. According to Ms. Kendall, if current trends continue, the fishery could become less profitable.

Kendall presented her findings at the second International Marine Conservation Congress in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, last month.

source: newscientist.com

Salmon: Running the Gauntlet

A new documentary, Salmon: Running the Gauntlet, takes a critical look at the extraordinary efforts to save Columbia and Snake River salmon.

This film comes at a very important time, just when the federal government’s Biological Opinion for salmon in the California’s Central Valley is under attack in Congress, and just weeks before U.S. District Court Judge James Redden is expected to rule on the adequacy of the Obama Administration’s $10 billion, 10-year Columbia and Snake River Salmon Plan.

The previous three Columbia River plans have all been ruled illegal.  Running the Gauntlet tells an important story about salmon in the Columbia Basin, and represents an excellent educational opportunity.

The film was aired on May 1, nationwide, but salmon enthusiasts can watch the documentary on the Internet on the PBS Nature website at:

www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/salmon-running-the-gauntlet/video-full-episode/6620

source: Fishlink Sublegals

2011 Salmonid Restoration Conference

The Salmonid Restoration Federation (SRF) is hosting its 29th Annual Salmonid Restoration Conference from 23 – 26 March 2011, in San Luis Obispo’s Veteran’s Memorial Center. The theme for this year’s conference is “Restoring Salmonids - Holding the Line on Species Decline.”

The conference begins with a poster session and reception on Friday night, and a cabaret and banquet with a Wild Copper River salmon dinner and the fantastic Latin dance band Sambada on Saturday evening.

For more information, visit www.calsalmon.org

California Salmon Stocks and Fisheries Public Meeting

The public is invited to testify at an upcoming public meeting about California salmon populations and the 2011 ocean and river salmon fisheries. The 2011 Salmon Information Meeting, sponsored by the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), will be held March 1 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Sonoma County Water Agency Building located at 404 Aviation Boulevard in Santa Rosa.

The rebound of Sacramento River fall Chinook salmon in 2010 has sparked intense public interest in the possibility of less restrictive salmon seasons this year. Preliminary data indicates approximately 125,300 adult fall Chinook and 27,500 jacks returned to the Sacramento River Basin. In 2009, the returns of adult Sacramento River fall Chinook salmon were an all time low of approximately 39,500 and all salmon seasons were closed. Limited fishing seasons were held in 2010.   

Salmon biologists and managers will provide the latest information on California salmon escapement in 2010 and the outlook for ocean and river Chinook fisheries in the coming 2011 season, including the possibility of an April 2 opener for sport fisheries south of  Horse Mountain.

They will discuss data that shows, for the first time since 2003, that Sacramento and Klamath rivers fall Chinook salmon stocks both exceeded their minimum spawner goals of 122,000 and 35,000 adults, respectively. In 2010, more than 37,200 Klamath River fall Chinook adults returned to spawn in natural areas. 

A California salmon management panel will hear public comment and testimony. The panel is comprised of individuals directly involved in the upcoming Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) meetings in March and April. The panel includes members of the PFMC, Salmon Technical Team and Salmon Advisory Subgroup.

The input from this meeting will help California representatives negotiate a broad range of season alternatives at the PFMC meeting March 5-10 in Vancouver, Wash. Salmon fishing seasons are developed through a collaborative regulatory process involving the Fish and Game Commission, the PFMC and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

More information on west coast salmon returns and ocean fisheries can be found online in the PFMC's Review of the 2010 Ocean Salmon Fisheries at www.pcouncil.org/salmon/stock-assessment-and-fishery-evaluation-safe-documents/review-of-2010-ocean-salmon-fisheries/.

NOAA - Canada to Hold Killer Whale Recovery Workshop

NOAA Fisheries has announced that the agency will convene a multi-session science workshop on killer whale recovery.

According to NOAA, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans is expected to participate in the process.

This action follows a preliminary analysis that includes information showing that killer whales depend to a substantial degree on large Chinook salmon as a high-calorie food source and concludes that killer whale productivity is affected by Chinook abundance.

Puget Sound Chinook salmon and killer whales are both listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). These orcas, known officially as Southern Resident killer whales, are also listed as endangered under Canada’s Species at Risk Act.

See the Northwest Region Website at http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Marine-Mammals/Whales-Dolphins-Porpoise/Killer-Whales/ESA-Status/KW-Chnk.cfm for supporting documents.

NOAA Task Force Report on Sea Lion Removal Program

NOAA Fisheries has released a progress report on sea lion predation at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. The report was written by a special task force commissioned by the agency to provide guidance on how best to deal with California sea lions that are foraging on federally protected salmon and steelhead below Bonneville Dam. The task force held four public meetings in Portland in October and November.

NOAA Fisheries granted permission three years ago to Washington, Oregon and Idaho to trap and "lethally remove" California sea lions at Bonneville Dam. The agency asked the task force to answer questions about the success so far of that effort and to suggest any changes in procedures.

Resolution of the problem of sea lion-salmon interaction became more complicated last month when a federal appeals court ruled that the agency violated administrative procedures in reaching its decision to allow the states to kill sea lions.

See the Northwest Region Website to view the report and link to related documents: http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Marine-Mammals/Seals-and-Sea-Lions/Sec-120-TF-Rpt.cfm

source: NOAA press release

Did the FDA Withhold FWS and NOAA Biological Opinions Concerning Genetically Modified Salmon?

The Center for Food Safety (CFS) press release claims that in recent hearings on transgenic fish, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) knowingly withheld a Federal Biological Opinion by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) prohibiting the use of transgenic salmon in open-water net pens pursuant to the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).

"This adds further evidence that in fact GE salmon pose a serious threat to marine environments and is another compelling reason for the FDA not to approve the fish for commercial use," said Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director of the Center for Food Safety. "While the FDA applauded the company’s choice of land-based containment as responsible, it never revealed that it is illegal in the U.S. to grow genetically engineered salmon in open-water net pens."

2010 Columbia River Sockeye Salmon Estimates

Fishery managers have had difficulty estimating the Columbia sockeye run and this year predicted the count at Bonneville Dam would be 125,000 fish. But 30,374 sockeye passed through on 23 June, the most in a single day since the dam was built in 1938. Two days later the estimate for the year doubled, to 250,000 sockeye. On Saturday, the run exceeded this estimate and reached 329,579 fish.  Before dams were built on the Columbia and Snake rivers, sockeye run estimates reached 3 million fish. The run almost died after the dams came in and then, with much help, have now started a comeback.

The size of this summer's run is causing a stir up and down the river. Native Americans are selling more fish earlier, and the run is open to sport fishermen from the mouth of the Columbia to the Oregon/Washington border.

Experts point to many reasons for increasing runs, among them improvements to dams and hatchery practices, better tributary habitat and increased smolt releases. But the primary reasons, scientists say, are Court-ordered increased spills from dams in the spring, when smolts migrate downstream, and improved conditions in the ocean where salmon spend two to four years growing up.

source: Fishlink Sublegals

Conference - Ecological Interactions between Wild and Hatchery Salmon

State of the Salmon is hosting a conference entitled Ecological Interactions between Wild & Hatchery Salmon.

The event is said to be the first international effort to explore the scale and magnitude of the ecological effects of hatcheries, identify important gaps in knowledge and work towards resolving key issues.

The conference will be held May 4–7, 2010, at the Portland Hilton in Portland, Oregon.

For more information, visit www.stateofthesalmon.org

Canada Sea Lice Data to be Made Public

According to sources, data collected by the British Columbia government on sea lice infestations in salmon farms will be released to the public. In a ruling released on March 1, 2010 the Office of the Information & Privacy Commissioner of B.C. orders the release of information gathered during fish farm health audits. The government has 30 days to release the data.

NOAA Finds Endangered Killer Whales Eat Chinook Salmon

New advances in genetic testing have allowed scientists to determine the specific origin of Chinook salmon that were consumed by  killer whales in the inland waters of Washington and British Columbia, according to new research by NOAA scientists and others. These findings will play a significant role in assisting the recovery of this group of endangered whales.

"Our findings identified specific Chinook stocks from Canada’s Fraser River that fish managers need to pay particular attention to because these killer whales are so dependent on them,” said Dr. Brad Hanson, lead author of the study and a marine mammal scientist with NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. This group of killer whales, known to scientists as the Southern Resident population, is protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and Canada’s Species at Risk Act.

Both governments identified lack of food as a risk factor that could interfere with the recovery of these killer whales.

Southern resident killer whales spend their time in the inland waters of Washington and British Columbia from late spring to early fall before swimming to the Pacific Ocean for the winter months.

Scientists estimated that the vast majority of the Chinook the whales ate – as much as 90 percent -- was from the Fraser River. The whales ate mostly salmon from the Upper Fraser in June, the Middle Fraser in July, and from the South Thompson and Lower Fraser in August and September. In general, only a small fraction of the Chinook salmon samples came from Puget Sound rivers. 

Salmon return to the same stream or branch of a river where they had hatched to spawn. Therefore, salmon from a particular stream become a genetically distinct population from those that spawn in other streams or river systems. Each population returns at a slightly different time of year than other populations. The whales ate the salmon as the fish returned to the Fraser River to spawn.

The four-year study involved collecting fish tissue and scales, as well as whale feces, while the killer whales fed during the summer months. In the laboratory, scientists used a relatively new molecular genetic tool to identify which fish species were eaten and, more specifically, where they came from.  

 “This study not only confirmed previous research that suggested these whales eat mostly Chinook salmon, it also allowed us to identify the specific genetic groups, and therefore the specific areas from within the river system, from which these salmon came,” said Hanson.  This gives managers more information with which to make decisions about conservation measures to ensure survival of these salmon stocks, which in turn are vital to the survival of the killer whales.

The study, titled “Species and stock identification of prey consumed by endangered ‘Southern Resident’ killer whales in their summer range” was published in the journal Endangered Species Research. Collaborators included scientists from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and in Washington, Cascadia Research Collective, the Center for Whale Research, the University of Washington and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

For more information on Southern Resident killer whale recovery, see the Web at:  http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Marine-Mammals/Whales-Dolphins-Porpoise/Killer-Whales/ESA-Status/Orca-Recovery-Plan.cfm