1. sports
2. fishing

Climate and Sockeye Salmon
Climate effects on growth, phenology, and
survival of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka):
a synthesis of the current state of knowledge and
future research directions
Eduardo G. Martins • Scott G. Hinch • Steven J.
Cooke • David A. Patterson
Adriano De Torres, Caesar Tang, and Jennifer Chen
USDA Forest J.Service
(2005) (2013)
Armstrong
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Outline
• Introduction
• Paper review
-Objectives
-Results & Discussion
-Criticisms
• Management
Implications
• Future Research
• Questions
Cascadia Partner Forum (2013)
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Introduction
• Onchorhynchus nerka are one
of the 5 Pacific salmon
species in B.C.
• Have ecological, economic,
and cultural importance
• Second most abundant in the
Fraser River
• Also known as blueback
salmon for their marine
phase
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Distribution
NMFS Office of Protected Resources (2013)
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Cultural Importance
• Subsistence for many
First Nations groups
• Cultural symbolism
-Abundance
-Wealth
-Prosperity
Corey Bulpitt (2010)
Blaine Billman (2011)
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Economic Importance
Carol Ann Woody (2008)
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Ecological Importance
Ron Niebrugge (2014)
George F. Mobley (2014)
• Important part of the food
web, prey species for
many predators in
different taxa
• Juveniles mainly feed on
invertebrates and
zooplankton
• Exchange of nutrients for
freshwater and marine
environments (e.g. salmon
carcasses)
National Geographic (2008)
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Scientific Importance
• Studying a complex life cycle and its relation to
population dynamics
• Nutrient cycling and their role in the food webs in
both freshwater and saltwater
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Biology
Cyber Salmon (2010)
• Complex life history
• Lifespan 3-5 years
(wild)
• Semelparous
• Anadromous
• Generally a cold
water species
• Omnivorous
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Life Cycle
Wild Pacific Salmon (2007)
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Open Ocean
• Building up of most of their biomass
• Omnivorous and will feed on things like krill
(zooplankton) and other fish
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Migration
• Juveniles can remain in freshwater habitat for up
to 3 years before migrating into the sea
• Physiological changes
-Osmoregulation
-Silvery scales
• Remain in open
ocean for up to 4
years
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Current Day
• Decline in salmon catches, particularly in the Pacific
Northwest
-Human activities: over-fishing, damming,
forestry activity, pollutants
• Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)
• Cohen Commission
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Paper Summary
Objectives
1. Assess trends in peer-reviewed studies that link
sockeye salmon growth, phenology, and survival to
climate variables
2. State the known knowledge in regards to effects of
climate variables on growth, phenology, and
survival at all life stages
3. Identify knowledge gaps that require future
research
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Methods
• Keyword search of various databases that were
relevant to growth, phenology, and survival
• Restricted to only those published in English,
therefore lacking some information on western
Pacific stocks
• Used a total of 80 papers for this review paper
synthesis
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Results
Climate Variables
• Nine climate variables to influence productivity at
various life stages (i.e. affecting growth, phenology,
survival)
-temperature, flow, climate indices, date of icebreak, salinity, wind, ocean currents, upwelling,
and precipitation
• About 2/3 of papers studied freshwater life stages
-40.7% of these were through experimental setup
• Most tracking observations done during freshwater
stages
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Eggs and Alevin
• Increased mortality at higher temperature extremes
rather than low extremes
• Different stocks having different optimum
developmental temperatures
• Local conditions more important in determining
survival rather than large-scale climate conditions
Greenpeace (2010)
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Fry
• Optimum temperature for growth in lab at 15°C;
tolerance decreases with lower amounts of food
• Other studies show lack of optimum temperature
due to daily vertical migrations
Smolt, Post-smolt
Fish Passage Centre (2009)
• Warmer temperatures benefit northern populations;
less so for southern stocks
• No consensus whether higher or lower discharge is
better for migration towards ocean
Greenpeace (2010)
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Adults
Gray Taxidermy (2011)
• Warmer temperatures associated with lower survival
during upriver migration
• Presence of thermal refuges during migration period
greatly increases chances of survival
• High flows decrease survival for returning adults;
higher energy requirements
Greenpeace (2010)
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Spawners
• High temperatures during migration (or at spawning
ground) will carry forward to the fish’s state at
spawning grounds
• Increased heat stress and energy expenditure
affecting the number of eggs carried by females
• Impacts of temperature stress can also be passed
onto offspring (e.g. lower fitness/survival of eggs)
Olga N. Vasik (2013)
Greenpeace (2010)
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Discussion
Major Points
1. Temperature was the most studied factor and
covers all the life stages listed
-however, not always due to direct effects
2. Salmon greatly influenced by regional climate
conditions
3. Different stocks will have different optimum
temperatures
4. Climate variables affecting one life stage will carry
over to the subsequent life stages
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Future Research
• How these climate variables affect sockeye salmon
once they’re out in the ocean
• Examine ocean life stages under manipulated
laboratory conditions (e.g. smolts that have been
tagged and released)
• Predicted ocean acidification, but unknown as to the
physiological effects
• More field studies in freshwater systems
• Long-term monitoring of populations
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• How changes in stream hydrology affect egg survival
• Information regarding western Pacific stocks
published in other languages
• Solid evidence for carry-over effects from one life
stage to another
• Survival of salmon after release
• Consider within-stock
variations, possibility
for adaptation
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Criticisms
• Information can be more organized, perhaps a
summary table would help
• More information on the life stages they specified in
the introduction
• Language barrier could be addressed through
translations
• Written in easily accessible language,
straightforward vocabulary
• Provides an excellent resource for further research
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Management Implications
Hinch (2015)
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Past and Current Management
• Not fishing during run-timing; regulated fishing
-timing of when fisheries open
• Management of streams, maintaining habitat
diversity
• Fixed fishing schedule
• Daily management
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IPCC Report 2014
• Warming of oceans inducing shift in species
distribution
• Changes in ocean current patterns
• Acidification of oceans due to CO2
• Changes in salinity; increase or decrease depending
on location
Greenpeace (2010)
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Potential New Management
• Emphasis on stock-specific
responses to temperature
• Focus on other life stages
• Translocate populations that
are more suitable
• Trophic levels
• Connectivity of streams and
lakes
Warner Pacific(2012)
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Stock-specific
Greenpeace (2010)
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Translocation
Whitney et al. (2013)
Greenpeace (2010)
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Connectivity of Streams
Griffiths et al. (2012)
Greenpeace (2010)
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Questions
1. Knowing about thermal adaptation, how can
managers work with this information? Is it possible
(or even feasible) for assisted range expansion to
occur?
2. How does phenotypic plasticity relate to
provenance?
3. Given that the life stages with most focus are
juveniles and spawning adults, what other life stage
should we place more emphasis on?
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4. Should there be more emphasis on the
conservation of the marine life stages of sockeye
salmon?
5. Globally, sockeye salmon are of least concern
according to the IUCN Red List; how would
management differ in other locations compared to the
eastern Pacific?
6. Are we simply at a low point in their population
cycle? That it was the right time and conditions for the
populations to fall?
7. Will salmon stocks that regularly return to BC
habitats ever return to pre-decline levels (mid 1990s)?
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Sockeye Return Trends
Hinch (2015)
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References
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Carney, J.M. and Adkison, M.D. 2014. Using model simulations to compare performance of
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Farrell, A.P., Hinch, S.G., Cooke, S.J., Patterson, D.A. Crossin, G.T., Lapointe, M., and Mathes,
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Whitney, C.K., Hinch, S.G., and patterson, D.A. 2013. Provenance matters: thermal reaction
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11. WWSD?
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