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NW Alaska Salmon Mysteries

· NW Alaska,Salmon,climate change,fisheries,fish biology

Salmon Mystery: in Nome sub-district in 2018 we had record catches of every salmon species except kings while the kings are still so low, after years, it's an emergency. The warmer waters are sending many of the species north--the cod and the pollock for sure, and apparently the salmon. So what negative event is happening to the kings that doesn't affect the other salmon species? I would like to hear some ideas on this. One I heard from a fish biologist that makes sense is that kings normally have a slowed down metabolism during winter's cold water in order to conserve fat. When the water is warmer, as it has been lately, they stay more active, but there isn't as much food around as these big fish need. They therefore come into spring badly underweight and vulnerable to whatever enemies or bad conditions they face. One thing could be less prey, less feeder fish like pollock for them as these have gone north. Any other theories?

For more, article from Alaska Public Radio Nov 2018