Atlantic and Pacific Salmon Biologists Team up to Enhance Recovery of Endangered Salmon Populations

Salmon in the contiguous United States have undergone major declines with extirpation of approximately 30 % of Pacific (Oncorhynchus spp.) and 90 % of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) populations.  At the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society we helped to team up Pacific and Atlantic salmon biologists in an effort to improve collaborations between these highly productive research communities. Thirteen teams emerged from this meeting to develop new perspectives and techniques to enhance recovery of endangered salmon populations.  Key findings included: (1) comparative analysis of freshwater maturation in  Pacific and Atlantic salmon that shows how freshwater  maturing forms provide demographic and  genetic compensation to declining salmon populations; (2) developing innovative approaches to culture and new ways to use hatchery-reared fish to aid in recovery of endangered populations; (3) comprehensive review and synthesis of how population viability analysis models are used for Atlantic and  Pacific salmon recovery planning.  These new insights on salmon conservation reinforce the catalytic impact of teaming up Atlantic and Pacific salmon biologists, often for the first time, to focus on a common issue.