The group tasked by Congress with outlining research priorities to address challenges facing Alaska salmon has released its final report.
The Alaska Salmon Research Task Force report says that the need for action is urgent when it comes to understanding shifts in salmon productivity, particularly in the hardest-hit Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim (AYK) region.
The report summarizes the factors believed to be impacting salmon productivity, from warming oceans, to marine food limitations and bycatch.
In the case of chinook and chum salmon bycatch, the report says that improved stock identification methods need to be a research priority. It says that the impacts of commercial fishing on Western Alaska salmon are currently unclear due to the way stock groupings cover large geographical areas.
While the stated goal of the report is to outline a broad salmon research strategy, public testimony included in the document is rife with calls for immediate action to rein in trawlers in the Bering Sea.
Members of the 19-person task force were spread across industry, science, academia, and subsistence categories, with one member appointed by Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
The task force consulted with a separate AYK working group, bringing several dozen members of the public into the discussion, including subsistence users directly impacted by Western Alaska salmon crashes.
Among AYK working group members, the two highest priority research themes were better quantifying the impacts of commercial fishing on salmon, and understanding the consequences of decreased food availability for salmon at sea.
According to the report, roughly 5 billion hatchery salmon are released into the North Pacific Ocean each year, likely leading to reduced food for wild salmon.
The report does not outline a timeline for implementation of the research priorities or strategies it puts forward, though the National Marine Fisheries Service says that the recommendations will be supported through “continued collaboration with state, tribal, federal, [Non-governmental organization], and international partners.”
