Salmon play a vital role in the economy, culture, and environment of the Pacific Northwest. They form an important part of Native Alaskan tradition and are a traditional food staple in many communities. Salmon are also the base of one of Alaska’s three primary industries, commercial fishing. Commercial fishing is one of Alaska’s largest industries, the others being the tourism and oil and gas industries. Salmon also have a big impact on the environment, supporting many different types of wildlife. Unfortunately though, the salmon population has fallen drastically and since 2007 salmon runs have been decidedly below average.
It is interesting to note that the salmon population seems to follow a cyclic pattern of highs and lows that can be seen in the provided graph.
Salmon runs in Alaska may be characterized by cyclic periods of high and low abundance that may last for decades. These cycles are varied and generally not well understood. The dramatic shift in numbers of returning fish, once thought to be primarily caused by harvest levels, spawning escapements, and various survival factors in freshwater habitats, are now known to be affected by cyclic, climatic and environmental fluctuations during the marine life history of salmon (Francis and Hare, 1994; Mantua et al.,1997).
“Since 2007, Alaskans have suffered from
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First of all, Commercial fishing is regulated. Commercial fishers cannot fish in specific areas that are set aside. This helps ensure that plenty of salmon reach their rivers. Another way is by using fish ladders to help salmon pass barriers like dams. Fish ladders are are series of small man-made waterfalls that allow salmon to progress upstream. Limits are also put on how many fish sport-fishers can catch to help maximize the number of fish that reach the spawning sites. However, the most effective means of conservation are salmon hatcheries, places that raise and release