North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission

Technical Report 23

Table of Contents

The Puget Sound Offshore Monitoring Program: An Essential Management Tool for Salmon in a Changing Climate

Authors:
Elisabeth J. Duffy, Mike J. Crewson, David A. Beauchamp, and Jacques R. White

Abstract Excerpt:
Juvenile salmon experience rapid change during early marine stages in estuarine, nearshore, and offshore marine habitats. Size and growth, particularly in offshore habitats, strongly influence survival to adulthood and are linked to food supply, predators, and environmental conditions. The Salish Sea Marine Survival Project (SSMSP) found that food supply and predation during early marine residence are the primary factors contributing to the persistent low marine survival for Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and coho (O. kisutch) salmon in Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia (Pearsall et al. 2021). Further, climate change appears to be driving shifts in the food web that will likely exacerbate conditions. For salmon to survive in the long run, managers and recovery planners need time-series data that helps connect the dots between climate, plankton, forage fish, and salmon—both locally and across the greater Puget Sound ecosystem.

*This is the first paragraph of an extended abstract. Download the full abstract below.

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23849/npafctr23/a5t-yy6

Citation

Duffy, E.J., M.J. Crewson, D.A. Beauchamp, and J.R. White.  2024.  The Puget Sound Offshore Monitoring Program: an essential management tool for salmon in a changing climate.  N. Pac. Anadr. Fish Comm. Tech. Rep. 23: 21–25.  https://doi.org/10.23849/npafctr23/a5t-yy6