Conservation status Sockeye salmon

united states

spawning kokanee salmon in sawtooth range of idaho, united states

united states sockeye salmon populations listed under endangered species act national marine fisheries service endangered species in snake river , threatened species in lake ozette, washington. snake river sockeye salmon listed endangered in november 1991, after shoshone-bannock tribe @ fort hall indian reservation petitioned national marine fisheries service. other sockeye populations in upper columbia river , in puget sound not listed under act.

sockeye exception 2010 s forecast resurgence of oregonian fish stocks. spring chinook, summer steelhead, , coho forecast increase 100% on 2008 populations. sockeye population peaked @ on 200,000 in 2008 , forecast decline on 100,000 in 2010. indication of unexpectedly high sockeye run in 2010, on july 2, 2010, united states army corps of engineers reported on 300,000 sockeye had passed on bonneville dam on columbia river. lower temperatures in 2008 north pacific waters brought in fatter plankton, which, along greater outflows of columbia river water, fed resurgent populations.

proposed legislative efforts, such northern rockies ecosystem protection act, attempting protect headwaters of sockeye salmon preventing industrial development in roadless areas.

record numbers of once-waning population of sockeye salmon have been returning northwest s columbia basin (as of june 2012), thousands more crossing river s dams in single day total numbers seen in previous years.

canada


sockeye salmon jumping on beaver dam, aleknagik lake, alaska, united states

the conservation status of sockeye populations in canada under review fisheries , oceans canada part of wild salmon policy strategy standardize monitoring of wild salmon status. salmon runs of particular note skeena , nass river runs, , famous fraser river sockeye run.

the fraser river salmon run has experienced declines in productivity since 1990s, mirroring similar decline in 1960s.

the return abundance (population) of fraser river sockeye in 2009 estimated @ low 1,370,000, 13% of pre-season forecast of 10,488,000. represented decline recent (1993) historical cycle peak of 23,631,000 , return abundance lowest in on 50 years. reasons (former) decline remain speculative. according consortium of scientists assembled review problem, decline highlights uncertainty in forecasting salmon returns. after low returns, government of canada launched formal inquiry decline, commission of inquiry decline of sockeye salmon in fraser river.

the commission has been tasked investigating factors may affect fraser river sockeye salmon throughout life cycle. according terms of reference, subjects of investigation impact of environmental changes along fraser river, marine environmental conditions, aquaculture, predators, diseases, water temperature , other factors may have affected ability of sockeye salmon reach traditional spawning grounds or reach ocean.

during commission, hundreds of thousands of documents , scientific research papers reviewed. twelve technical reports published using information, looking @ possible impacts of diseases , parasites, hatchery diseases, contaminants, marine ecology, salmon farms, fisheries, predators, climate change , government management on productivity of fraser river sockeye runs.

the commission submitted final report on october 29, 2012.

while commission holding public hearings, in late summer of 2010, largest run of sockeye since 1913 returned fraser river system. final counts show approximately 30 million salmon returned fraser river , tributaries in 2010. in total, approximately 11,591,000 fraser sockeye caught canadian fishers , 1,974,000 fraser sockeye caught american fishers. final projected escapement (fish not caught) 15,852,990 fish.

recent unpredictable fluctuations in runs speculated due changing water temperatures.