FIGURE 13
Management of the Fishery
Currently in the United States, their is a moratorium on all state and federal commercial fisheries, while recreational fisheries are all but closed (11). Atlantic Salmon have been listed under the Endangered Species Act since 2009 (11). Canada’s commercial fishery is also shut down, but its recreational and First Nation fisheries are still open (19). Because salmon are highly migratory fish, atlantic salmon born in Maine can be found all over the North Atlantic Ocean, entering water owned by numerous countries (11). To help these nations cooperate and to protect salmon regardless of location, organizations such as NASCO and ASF were created (11). ICES has also assisted in atlantic salmon conservation, helping NASCO to convince Greenland to stop exporting atlantic salmon (12). The US and NASCO established the ASFMP in 1988, giving US jurisdiction over salmon of US origin (17). Through CCSNAO, all countries that have jurisdiction over atlantic salmon agreed to allow for areas in the North Atlantic where no one could fish or have control over salmon populations (12). Currently, the atlantic salmon is not protected by the Convention for International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) (28).
The first step in managing the atlantic salmon fishery is to augment the current population. A vast majority of the rivers in New England that were historically spawning grounds for salmon no longer have populations. Salmon return to the river or stream they were born in, which means that rivers without salmon cannot be repopulated naturally. To reestablish atlantic salmon in these rivers, their needs to be a restocking effort using hatcheries. The Connecticut, Merrimack, and Androscoggin rivers once held the most salmon in the northeast, so these major rivers are an obvious place to start. However, these rivers are developed. The Connecticut River has 13 major dams, and the Merrimack flows by several major settlements. Restocking these rivers would prove fruitless because human development along rivers has negative impacts on salmon populations. Restocking secluded rivers in New England would be the most effective plan for reestablishing salmon because human development is almost non-existent. Also, the closer to the ocean the fish are released, the less they have to travel to return to their spawning grounds. This increases the chances of survival.
Restocking rivers with atlantic salmon is a great first step to managing the population, but if these salmon are faced with numerous obstacles and threats, it will be nearly impossible for these fish to ever return to spawn. To make sure that these salmon are able to reach their spawning grounds, there should also be a focus on relieving pressures on salmon populations. Dams are a physical barrier that stand between salmon spawning grounds and the sea. Ideally, removing all dams along rivers with large populations would provide the best chance of survival. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of effort to remove dam. One campaign to remove two large dams along the Penobscot River took several years and $69 million. A cheaper solution is installing fish ladders on dams. Fish ladders, also known as fishways, vary in design, but the basic scheme is a series of ascending pools connected by a cascading flow of water on or near the dam (2). The salmon jump from one pool to the next until they are at the top of the dam (2). The cost of installing fish ladders varies, but it is certainly less expensive than removing a dam. However, the small jumps needed to use a fish ladder gets tiring for salmon (25). One study showed that only 16% of anadromous fish who make it past the fish ladder of a first dam also make it past the second (25). One design, known the vertical slot fishway, doesn’t require the salmon to jump at all (25). Instead, the salmon needs only to swim up a ramp with a gentle current. Vertical slot fishways even have places for the fish to stop and rest, a valuable thing to migrating salmon. Vertical slot fishways would also benefit other anadromous fish along the river.
To address the problem of river development, riparian buffer zones extending out 50 meters from the riverbank should be implemented along each river holding a major population and each river that will be restocked. These buffer zones would be human development free, which includes the creation of new dams and also irrigation pumps. Without this human development, salmon eggs would get the shade they need, protection from sedimentation amd erosion, and would not be sucked up and killed by irrigation pumps. Clearly, these buffer zones would be impossible to enforce in already developed areas. The focus enforcement should be estuaries and in salmon spawning grounds, because that is where atlantic salmon are most vulnerable.
With these policies intact, the atlantic salmon should be well protected in the US, but because they fall under the jurisdiction of other countries at sea, the next step of management would be to pressure other countries to close down their fisheries. The three main countries of concern are Canada, Iceland, and Greenland. Canada still has its First Nation fishery open, which puts atlantic salmon of US origin at risk. Its recreational fishery is not a concern to US salmon because it is limited to Canadian rivers. Greenland still has a commercial fishery, with the only limitation being that they cannot export the fish. Iceland withdrew from the Convention for the Conservation of Salmon in the North Atlantic Ocean, which excuses them from adhering to regulations put forth from the conservation. It is not only important that these countries shut down their fisheries and join CCSNAO to protect US salmon, but it is also key to atlantic salmon survival worldwide that other countries mimic these proposed policies. Another way to shut down all atlantic salmon fisheries would be to convince CITES to protect atlantic salmon. As soon as a fish is protected by CITES, every fishery is shut down, and huge sums of money are poured into conservation. Convincing CITES would take serious time and effort, but CITES is the best thing that could ever happen to an endangered species.
The first step in managing the atlantic salmon fishery is to augment the current population. A vast majority of the rivers in New England that were historically spawning grounds for salmon no longer have populations. Salmon return to the river or stream they were born in, which means that rivers without salmon cannot be repopulated naturally. To reestablish atlantic salmon in these rivers, their needs to be a restocking effort using hatcheries. The Connecticut, Merrimack, and Androscoggin rivers once held the most salmon in the northeast, so these major rivers are an obvious place to start. However, these rivers are developed. The Connecticut River has 13 major dams, and the Merrimack flows by several major settlements. Restocking these rivers would prove fruitless because human development along rivers has negative impacts on salmon populations. Restocking secluded rivers in New England would be the most effective plan for reestablishing salmon because human development is almost non-existent. Also, the closer to the ocean the fish are released, the less they have to travel to return to their spawning grounds. This increases the chances of survival.
Restocking rivers with atlantic salmon is a great first step to managing the population, but if these salmon are faced with numerous obstacles and threats, it will be nearly impossible for these fish to ever return to spawn. To make sure that these salmon are able to reach their spawning grounds, there should also be a focus on relieving pressures on salmon populations. Dams are a physical barrier that stand between salmon spawning grounds and the sea. Ideally, removing all dams along rivers with large populations would provide the best chance of survival. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of effort to remove dam. One campaign to remove two large dams along the Penobscot River took several years and $69 million. A cheaper solution is installing fish ladders on dams. Fish ladders, also known as fishways, vary in design, but the basic scheme is a series of ascending pools connected by a cascading flow of water on or near the dam (2). The salmon jump from one pool to the next until they are at the top of the dam (2). The cost of installing fish ladders varies, but it is certainly less expensive than removing a dam. However, the small jumps needed to use a fish ladder gets tiring for salmon (25). One study showed that only 16% of anadromous fish who make it past the fish ladder of a first dam also make it past the second (25). One design, known the vertical slot fishway, doesn’t require the salmon to jump at all (25). Instead, the salmon needs only to swim up a ramp with a gentle current. Vertical slot fishways even have places for the fish to stop and rest, a valuable thing to migrating salmon. Vertical slot fishways would also benefit other anadromous fish along the river.
To address the problem of river development, riparian buffer zones extending out 50 meters from the riverbank should be implemented along each river holding a major population and each river that will be restocked. These buffer zones would be human development free, which includes the creation of new dams and also irrigation pumps. Without this human development, salmon eggs would get the shade they need, protection from sedimentation amd erosion, and would not be sucked up and killed by irrigation pumps. Clearly, these buffer zones would be impossible to enforce in already developed areas. The focus enforcement should be estuaries and in salmon spawning grounds, because that is where atlantic salmon are most vulnerable.
With these policies intact, the atlantic salmon should be well protected in the US, but because they fall under the jurisdiction of other countries at sea, the next step of management would be to pressure other countries to close down their fisheries. The three main countries of concern are Canada, Iceland, and Greenland. Canada still has its First Nation fishery open, which puts atlantic salmon of US origin at risk. Its recreational fishery is not a concern to US salmon because it is limited to Canadian rivers. Greenland still has a commercial fishery, with the only limitation being that they cannot export the fish. Iceland withdrew from the Convention for the Conservation of Salmon in the North Atlantic Ocean, which excuses them from adhering to regulations put forth from the conservation. It is not only important that these countries shut down their fisheries and join CCSNAO to protect US salmon, but it is also key to atlantic salmon survival worldwide that other countries mimic these proposed policies. Another way to shut down all atlantic salmon fisheries would be to convince CITES to protect atlantic salmon. As soon as a fish is protected by CITES, every fishery is shut down, and huge sums of money are poured into conservation. Convincing CITES would take serious time and effort, but CITES is the best thing that could ever happen to an endangered species.
VIDEO 2
Vertical slot fishway at work along the Murray River in Australia.
Vertical slot fishway at work along the Murray River in Australia.