In 2018, Salmon Coast undertook an ambitious project to analyze regional and historical trends in salmon populations in the Broughton Archipelago and surrounding region.
State of the Salmon
In 2018, Salmon Coast undertook an ambitious project to analyze regional and historical trends in salmon populations in the Broughton Archipelago and surrounding region. The goal of this report was to focus on specific river systems that are relevant to local people and ecosystems.
In order to do this, our researchers assessed river-level populations of pink, chum, coho, Chinook, and sockeye salmon for abundance (recent numbers of fish) and resilience (capacity for fish to rebound).
We found that most wild Pacific salmon populations in the Broughton Archipelago area exhibit declining or uncertain capacity to persist under current conditions. For many populations, spawner abundance is low relative to historical levels. Effective management and recovery plans require current information on status and trends, which is limited by a lack of monitoring and data.
Despite these challenges, our analysis of resilience highlights the incredible capacity of wild salmon to rebound if given the opportunity.
This means that if stressors are removed from the environment, wild salmon may have the chance to recover to historical numbers.
Analyses like this one are critical to having an accurate picture of how wild salmon populations are doing, particularly as policies and management decisions change.
State of the Salmon Reports
Find out more about our work by checking out our regular reports and related publications
Check out our sea lice reports for each year, which provide detailed information on the year’s monitoring findings.
View our complete list of publications for many more articles based on sea lice research conducted at Salmon Coast.