Pacific Salmon Production Trends in Relation to Climate

Abstract

Pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), chum (O. keta), and sockeye salmon (O. nerka) represent approximately 90% of the commercial catch of Pacific salmon taken each year by Canada, Japan, the United States, and Russia. Annual all-nation catches of the three species and of each species, from 1925 to 1989, exhibited long-term parallel trends. National catches, in most cases, exhibited similar but weaker trends. The strong similarity of the pattern of the all-nation pink, chum, and sockeye salmon catches suggests that common events over a vast area affect the production of salmon in the North Pacific Ocean. The climate over the northern North Pacific Ocean is dominated in the winter and spring by the Aleutian Low pressure system. The long-term pattern of the Aleutian Low pressure system corresponded to the trends in salmon catch, to copepod production, and to other climate indices, indicating that climate and the marine environment may play an important role in salmon production.