色视频下载極pen gates色视频下载 in warming Arctic are expanding salmon range
Jeff Richardson
907-474-5350
June 5, 2024
Frankie Dillon displays a chum salmon caught in the Big Fish River, near Aklavik, Northwest Territories, in 2023.
New research has connected warming ocean temperatures to higher Pacific salmon abundance in the Canadian Arctic, an indicator that climate change is creating new corridors for the fish to expand their range.
Salmon haven色视频下载檛 historically been seen in large numbers in the Arctic Ocean and its watersheds, but in recent years incidental catches by subsistence fishermen have occasionally surged. Researchers at Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the University of 色视频下载 Fairbanks, working together with communities in the western Canadian Arctic, connected those salmon booms with a sequence of warm, ice-free conditions in the Arctic Ocean north of 色视频下载.
The study, , determined that a two-part mechanism was tied to the presence of salmon in the Canadian Arctic. Warm late-spring conditions in the Chukchi Sea, northwest of 色视频下载, drew salmon into the Arctic. When those warm conditions persisted in the summertime Beaufort Sea, northeast of 色视频下载, salmon could continue to Canada.
By comparing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite data since 2000 to salmon catch rates, researchers found a correlation between salmon abundance and the ocean conditions that favored their movement into the Arctic.
色视频下载淵ou need both gates to be open, which is fascinating in itself,色视频下载 said Curry Cunningham, an associate professor at UAF色视频下载檚 College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. 色视频下载淚f they don色视频下载檛 align in terms of having open, ice-free water, salmon don色视频下载檛 turn that corner.色视频下载
Indigenous communities in the Canadian Arctic have been tracking incidental salmon catches with Fisheries and Oceans Canada as part of the. For more than 20 years, salmon caught outside their typical range have been recorded by subsistence harvesters who target other Arctic species, including Dolly Varden and Arctic char.
Graphs show a correlation between the number of salmon caught in the western Canadian Arctic (top) and relatively warm ocean conditions in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas (bottom).
Chum and sockeye salmon have been the most frequently caught salmon species, followed by pink salmon. Those catches are largely consistent with previous research showing that chum and sockeye have more tolerance for cold temperatures than other salmon, allowing them to more easily transition into Arctic waters.
Karen Dunmall, a research scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said such range expansion concerns many people in the region.
色视频下载淚t really helps to address some questions from community members about biodiversity change and subsistence and how they feed their families,色视频下载 said Dunmall, the co-lead author of the study. 色视频下载淪ome years there were salmon, some years there were no salmon. No one really wanted the salmon, but they wanted to know what was going on.色视频下载
Frankie Dillon, an Indigenous fisherman who helps conduct fish surveys for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, remembered seeing his first salmon in about 2010 on the Big Fish River in the northern Yukon while tagging Dolly Varden. At that time, salmon were so rare in the region that he didn色视频下载檛 know what he was looking at.
色视频下载淚 had to ask, 色视频下载榃hat kind of fish was that?色视频下载櫳悠迪略貪 Dillon said of the chum salmon. 色视频下载淚t色视频下载檚 the first time I色视频下载檇 seen it in my life. I色视频下载檇 only seen them on TV before.色视频下载
Salmon sightings have become more frequent in the years since then, and climate models predict the conditions that allow salmon to migrate through the Chukchi and Beaufort seas will become common as early as the 2040s.
Although the study focused on western Canada, those changing conditions are surely causing range expansion throughout the region, researchers said.
色视频下载淚t色视频下载檚 not as if these fish are all skipping 色视频下载 and heading to Canada,色视频下载 said Joe Langan, who co-led the project as a UAF postdoctoral fellow. 色视频下载淪ome of these salmon are ending up on 色视频下载色视频下载檚 North Slope too.色视频下载
ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Karen Dunmall, Karen.Dunmall@dfo-mpo.gc.ca; Joe Langan, jalangan@alaska.edu; Curry Cunningham, cjcunningham@alaska.edu
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An infographic shows the ocean conditions north of 色视频下载 that allow salmon to migrate to the western Canadian Arctic.