Category Archives: Salmon Science
Salmon Aquaculture is a Precautionary Principle
In the sometimes heated discussion about salmon aquaculture – ocean ranching and salmon farming – quite often the “precautionary principle” is a term thrown about by those who question its sustainability. In other words, in the absence of absolute scientific … Continue reading
The science is in: a big bust is natural
We’re talking about salmon. What were you thinking? Some neat sciency stuff was published yesterday. That is, researchers at the University of Washington have discovered that salmon stocks have been highly variable for centuries - long before the start of commercial fishing. And these … Continue reading
How did Wonder Woman manage to influence Judge Bruce Cohen?
Our last blog alluded to a report commissioned by the Canadian government that looked into the recent decline in Fraser River sockeye in British Columbia, Canada. It has now been released. Over the past three years Judge Bruce Cohen was … Continue reading
Two common trends: variable salmon returns and wasting taxpayer dollars
Emotions peaked at a recent Chinook Salmon Symposium in Anchorage that dared to delve into the declining King salmon in Alaska. The 2012 return has been dismal and follows a recent trend of declining returns. Biologists point to ocean … Continue reading
To produce more food, you can bet on the ocean
There is no shortage of people and groups who question whether we should be raising fish in the ocean for human consumption. Whether for ideological reasons, financial or other vested interests, they have convinced themselves that the risks outweigh the benefits. They criticize conservation hatcheries, salmon ranching corporations and fish … Continue reading
Wild and hatchery salmonids interactions 101
A recent feature article by Peter S. Rand and B. A. Berejikian et al, from the Wild Salmon Center in Portland, Oregon, US, and the NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center, provides a good resource to understand more about the ecological … Continue reading
IHN virus confirmed at Alaska salmon farm
WARNING! For those who don’t like facts, you had best click off this site before reading any further. There has been a bit of online chatter about a fish virus that has infected a few salmon farms in Washington State … Continue reading
When the title doesn’t match the content…
It’s so confusing that even the “prestigious” Huffington Post (sarcasm for those who can’t recognize it) can’t figure out the appropriate headline. The story was about a newly published collection of more than 20 studies by leading university scientists and government … Continue reading
Salmon. Save them by not killing them?
Stephen Hume, columnist at Canada’s Vancouver Sun newspaper, recently shared his thoughts on what he feels could play a part in saving King (Chinook) salmon stocks. It is a clear message to sport anglers – a user group that has, whether rightly or wrongly, … Continue reading
Seafood Watch reveals 2012 assessment priorities…finally
Well, well, well. Breaking news reported today by SeafoodIntelligence.com. After a few weeks of pestering, editor Bertrand Charron finally received a revealing email stating that two important assessments by our friends at Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch are soon to be … Continue reading
