The survival of Atlantic salmon stocks at sea remains low throughout the province despite the drastic reduction in directed fishing since 1992.
And fisheries scientists fail to understand why.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans today released the Newfoundland and Labrador 2007 Atlantic Salmon Stock Assessment report.
The report states that low marine survival of Atlantic salmon since the late 1980's continues to be the major factor affecting abundance of Atlantic salmon within the region.
Within insular Newfoundland, particularly low abundance of both large and small salmon was noted in 2007. Within Labrador, abundance of small salmon has increased since 2004, but overall abundance of large salmon has remained particularly low since the late 1980's.
Scientists note they cannot offer advice to fishery managers on the status of salmon stocks as they are constrained by "our inability to understand the causes of the low survival of salmon at sea."
Fisheries scientists say that unrecorded removals of salmon from the stock need to be quantified as there is some evidence that those removals could be higher than the recorded fishing mortality on some stocks. High unrecorded mortality is of particular concern at present stock levels, the report states.
The report notes that other sources of uncertainty include current rates of egg production versus historical information from individual stocks, annual changes in sex ratios and variation in biological characteristics that could, collectively, impact on the reproductive potential of stocks.
Priority research is required to address the lack of understanding of factors contributing to low survival of salmon at sea, as there is some indication that, in some years, higher mortality may occur near shore. There is also a lack of understanding of factors responsible for variation in freshwater (egg-to-smolt) survival which can be similar to or even higher than the variation observed in marine survival.
Scientist still fishing for cause of low salmon survival in waters off Newfoundland and Labrador
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Published on
June 23, 2008
- Published on July 1, 2010
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Staff ~ The Telegram
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Comments
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- manny
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:58:14
Maybe be this has something to do with your catch-and-release games being played out while salmon are coming up river. After going through that hell, what salmon would ever want to come back up a river again? Just a thought!!
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- Keith
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:51:45
Hey, fishy - it CAN'T be the seals!! Didn't you learn anything from Sir Paul & the (ex) missus' visit the othe year? Seals are VEGANS!! LOL
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- fishy
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:51:10
SEALS--- The cod is gone so they've started on the salmon. Next will be the decline of other fish species that they prey on
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- George
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:48:50
manny lewis from On; what a silly statement!! Typical of some PETA flunky to think that a fish is intelligent enough to figure that out. Salmon swim up river to spawn driven by pure instinct. No doubt the rising seal population has an effect on declining salmon stocks.
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- Joe
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:47:49
Just A Thought but maybe It has to do with all the herbicides and pesticides that run from land into the rivers and into the ocean, its pure poison and i'm just guessing but I don't think it's doing the salmon any favors.
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- Rich
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:45:03
DUH !!! Ah, like, scientists: Haven't you heard.........SEALS & FOREIGN OVERFISHING ??? They are the first two thing that come to my mind. Don't think for a minute that the foreigners aren't floating they're nets for some of the best the ocean has to offer. they've swept up all the rest.!! As for the seals, we're stopping cars now to let them cross the roads.
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- manny
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:46:08
Maybe be this has something to do with your catch-and-release games being played out while salmon are coming up river. After going through that hell, what salmon would ever want to come back up a river again? Just a thought!!
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- Keith
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:35:34
Hey, fishy - it CAN'T be the seals!! Didn't you learn anything from Sir Paul & the (ex) missus' visit the othe year? Seals are VEGANS!! LOL
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- fishy
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:34:31
SEALS--- The cod is gone so they've started on the salmon. Next will be the decline of other fish species that they prey on
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- George
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:30:28
manny lewis from On; what a silly statement!! Typical of some PETA flunky to think that a fish is intelligent enough to figure that out. Salmon swim up river to spawn driven by pure instinct. No doubt the rising seal population has an effect on declining salmon stocks.
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- Joe
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:28:46
Just A Thought but maybe It has to do with all the herbicides and pesticides that run from land into the rivers and into the ocean, its pure poison and i'm just guessing but I don't think it's doing the salmon any favors.
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- Rich
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:24:20
DUH !!! Ah, like, scientists: Haven't you heard.........SEALS & FOREIGN OVERFISHING ??? They are the first two thing that come to my mind. Don't think for a minute that the foreigners aren't floating they're nets for some of the best the ocean has to offer. they've swept up all the rest.!! As for the seals, we're stopping cars now to let them cross the roads.
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