North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission

The International Pacific Salmon Data Legacy; Historical Sampling of Salmon in the Ocean

Authors:
Skip McKinnell and Joseph A. Langan

Abstract:
Research vessels have been going to the North Pacific Ocean on expeditions to study Pacific salmon for a century but there has been, until now, no attempt to consolidate the results of these expeditions into a common database. A lack of historical data reduces the ability to detect change, whether of anthropogenic origin or not. An effort was initiated by the authors to find historical records of where and when salmon were caught at sea during research activities, to find and collate records of commonly measured biological characteristics, and to compile these records in a consistent record format with common codes and measurement units in a non-proprietary electronic format (.csv). This first public release is incomplete but as of 2023 it includes the results of nearly 44,000 f ishing operations at sea (total catch is ~15 million salmon and steelhead trout) caught over ~70 years. Over one million salmon with at least one biological property measured are included; species, length and sex being the most common. Age, body weight, gonad weight, stomach content weight, and tag number were included if reported. Although several regional gaps remain to be filled, this initial effort likely represents a major fraction of the total number of reported research fishing operations but a much smaller fraction of the total number of biological records. Most of the missing biological data records are presumed to be located somewhere in Asia.

DOI:
https:/doi.org/10.23849/npafcb7/s3p00-9

Citation

McKinnell, S. and J.A. Langan. 2024. The international Pacific salmon data legacy; historical sampling of salmon in the ocean. N. Pac. Anadr. Fish Comm. Bull. 7: 77–92. https:/doi.org/10.23849/npafcb7/s3p00-9