Prominent Fisheries Scientists Propose New Place-Based Management Approach for the Benefit of Wild Salmon

Prominent Fisheries Scientists Propose New Place-Based Management Approach for the Benefit of Wild Salmon

May 22, 2018- Today, a paper proposing a forward-looking, place-based approach for the sustainable management of global salmon fisheries was published in Fisheries Magazine, a monthly publication from the American Fisheries Society.

The article, titled The Failure of Wild Salmon Management: Need for a Place-Based Conceptual Foundation, is authored by a collection of accomplished fisheries scientists from the United States and Canada. Wild Fish Conservancy is proud to announce its own Dr. Nick Gayeski serves as the paper’s lead author.

In the paper, the authors propose the reconstruction of status quo management practices that have failed to rebuild, or sustainably manage, depressed wild salmon populations all over the world – a failure in management that has occurred despite millions of public dollars and a broad and growing scientific understanding of salmon ecology.

A conceptual shift to a place-based approach, Dr. Gayeski and others argue, is needed in order to account for the localized needs of distinct salmon populations. To achieve this place-based approach, the paper outlines several key changes that would promote wild salmon recovery and sustainable management:

  • fishing closer to rivers of origin, where particular populations can be identified with high precision
  • requiring commercial fishing gear to be capable of releasing (with very low post-release mortality) non-target species and populations
  • managing harvest to ensure that spawning escapements in most years exceed levels that would produce maximum sustainable yield

While acknowledging the challenges associated with implementing widespread changes, the authors argue that a shift to place-based management is urgent and essential in order to ensure the recovery of cherished yet imperiled salmon species all over the world.

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For more information contact: Kurt Beardslee, Executive Director, 206.310.9301/[email protected]

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