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Seafood Watch® Wild Pacific Salmon Report October 8, 2010 I. Executive Summary This seafood report evaluates the ecological sustainability of wild-caught U.S. West Coast salmon. To make an overall recommendation, salmon fisheries have been analyzed using Seafood Watch’s five basic criteria: inherent vulnerability to fishing pressure, status of wild stocks, nature and extent of bycatch, effects of fishing methods on habitats and ecosystems, and effectiveness of the management regime. Due to the substantial variation observed between salmon fisheries, this report breaks U.S. West Coast salmon down along geographic lines (i.e., by state – Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California) in order to better inform consumers. The commercial salmon season in California and Oregon (south of Cape Falcon) occurs between May and September, and most product is sold fresh during these months. As a result, salmon from California and Oregon (south of Cape Falcon) is not readily available from October through April. Therefore, these fisheries are not evaluated using Seafood Watch® criteria in this report, but general background information on these fisheries is included. An evaluation will be included when the season re-opens in 2011. Inherent Vulnerability Salmon have natural reproductive traits that imply a biological resilience to overfishing. They are relatively short-lived animals (two to five years on average) that release large numbers of eggs when spawning, indicating a high potential reproductive rate. However, the dependence of salmon on specific freshwater areas leaves them susceptible to habitat loss and concomitant population crashes. Notably, in the contiguous U.S. (i.e., the lower 48 states) numerous stocks of salmon have been severely depleted or entirely extirpated due to human activities. Where these downturns have occurred, remaining stocks are left considerably more vulnerable to fishing pressure. The comparatively pristine freshwater systems in Alaska have left salmon runs there comparatively resilient to fishing pressure. Stock Status As a result of habitat loss, climatic shifts, historic overfishing, and other factors, the abundance of many populations of salmon has declined substantially over the past century. Overall, Chinook, coho, sockeye, and pink salmon stocks in California, Oregon, and Washington have been significantly depleted from peak abundances, although fishing is not considered one of the primary causes of the declines in many cases. In Washington, several large runs continue to be viable. In several cases, long-term declines in abundance have been halted or reversed in the recent past. The health of Washington and Oregon (north of Cape Falcon) stocks are considered a moderate conservation concern because abundances and trends vary in space and time, with targeted stocks depleted from historical levels of abundance, but generally meeting conservation goals. In contrast, Alaskan salmon, augmented by large hatchery operations, appear to be in robust health, with record abundance and harvests over the past two decades. The status of Alaska salmon stocks is therefore a low conservation concern. Bycatch The gear employed in commercial salmon fisheries includes drift and set gillnets, purse seines, and trolling gear (also referred to as hook-and-line gear). When combined with management constraints such as area closures and gear restrictions, the methods used to catch salmon are highly selective for salmon, and overall bycatch rates appear low in all salmon fisheries. 3
Seafood Watch® Wild Pacific Salmon Report October 8, 2010 However, one of the inherent difficulties of managing salmon is that they are captured in mixedstock fisheries, in which salmon from a variety of different areas may be caught in the same nets or on the same hooks. This poses a particularly difficult problem in California and the Pacific Northwest where nearly thirty salmon and steelhead Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs) have been listed as Threatened or Endangered under the Endangered Species Act, resulting in a high conservation concern for bycatch in the Washington and Oregon (north of Cape Falcon) salmon fisheries. Regular landings of these fish remains a serious concern despite management efforts to reduce exploitation rates. In Alaska, the relative health of salmon stocks and low bycatch rates of endangered and threatened stocks from the Pacific Northwest has reduced the seriousness of the bycatch issue. Habitat Effects The gear types used in salmon fisheries (drift gillnets, purse seines, and trolling gear) rarely touch the sea floor. As such, salmon fisheries have little lasting physical impact on aquatic habitats. However, the salmon fishery system can indirectly affect aquatic habitats. Most notably, the widespread use of salmon hatcheries for conservation and fisheries augmentation purposes has, in many cases, significantly degraded the natural habitat of wild salmonids. Hatcheries have often been poorly integrated with wild runs, and can jeopardize their health especially in areas where wild salmon populations are depleted. The effects of salmon hatcheries on the health of wild salmon stocks has been empirically demonstrated in California and the Pacific Northwest, and important questions about Alaskan hatcheries remain unanswered. As such, habitat and ecosystem effects are a moderate conservation concern in Oregon (north of Cape Falcon) and Washington, and a low conservation concern in Alaska. Management Managers of U.S. West Coast salmon fisheries assess stocks on a timely basis, typically issuing preseason abundance forecasts and updating regulations as the season progresses. Managers regularly assess fisheries-dependent data, such as landings, and fisheries-independent data, such as run size, ocean conditions, and fish age, to determine stock status and fishing levels. Management does not have a track record of setting catch quotas over what its scientific advisors have recommended. Managers require specific gear types and employ closed areas to reduce wasteful discards, and actively craft fishing seasons and regulations to reduce harmful impacts on endangered or struggling stocks. However, the effectiveness of the bycatch reduction measures is not clear, as bycatch of some species has decreased, while bycatch of other species remains high, including bycatch of some ESA-listed salmonids. Alaska salmon regulations also limit gear sizes (including mesh size as well as boat and gear length) and limit the time during which gear can be in the water. Management has not prevented the long-term declines of many salmonids in Washington, Oregon, and California. Overall, management is considered moderately effective in Washington and Oregon (north of Cape Falcon) and highly effective in Alaska. Summary The fundamental finding is that Alaskan salmon fisheries, which comprise the vast majority of U.S. Pacific salmon, are very robust, and represent a Best Choice. In contrast, many of the remaining Pacific salmon stocks on the West Coast (including inland river systems) are in trouble, primarily because of damage to freshwater ecosystems that are important as spawning and rearing habitats. Historically, overfishing also has caused damage to salmon runs. Hatchery enhancement has, in some circumstances, also contributed harm. Fish from vulnerable ESUs 4
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