A Comprehensive Review of the Impacts of Climate Change on Salmon: Strengths and Weaknesses of the Literature by Life Stage

Abstract

As we confront novel environmental challenges, a full understanding of the physical and biological processes that govern species responses to climate change will help maintain biodiversity and support conservation measures that are more robust to irreducible uncertainty. However, climate impacts are so complex, and the literature on salmon and trout is so vast that researchers and decision makers scramble to make sense of it all. Therefore, we conducted a systematic literature review of climate impacts on salmon and anadromous trout as a resource for stakeholders, managers, and researchers. We reviewed studies published from 2010 to 2021 that address climate impacts on these fish and organized them in a database of 1169 physical and 1853 biological papers. Papers are labeled with keywords across eight categories related to subject matter and study methods. We compared the literature by biological process and life stage and used these comparisons to assess strengths and weaknesses. We then summarized expected phenotypic and genetic responses and management actions by life stage. Overall, we found the largest research gaps related to species interactions, behavioral responses, and effects that carry over across life stages. With this collection of the literature, we can better apply scarce conservation resources, fill knowledge gaps, and make informed decisions that do not ignore uncertainty.

Thiamine Deficiency M74 Developed in Salmon (Salmo salar) Stocks in Two Baltic Sea Areas after the Hatching of Large Year-Classes of Two Clupeid Species—Detected by Fatty Acid Signature Analysis

“…Thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency in fatty predatory fish results from an unbalanced diet abundant in fatty marine prey fish and thereby an excessive dietary intake of n−3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n−3 PUFAs) [1,2]. It has affected salmonine species and lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis) [2][3][4][5] and is called the M74 syndrome in the Baltic region [1][2][3]6] and Thiamine Deficiency Complex (TDC) in North America [7]. M74 has impaired the reproduction of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) feeding in the Baltic Sea (hereafter Baltic salmon or salmon), especially in the 1990s, but also after [8].…”

Hatcheries to high seas: climate change connections to salmon marine survival

“…Development of adaptive management plans to address climate-change impacts on fish, fisheries, aquaculture, and associated habitats and ecosystems requires knowledge of "local and context-specific indicators associated with climate stressors" (FAO, 2022). A comprehensive review of literature (meta-analysis across sub-disciplines) addressed strengths and weaknesses of climate-change research by life stage and showed the complexity of whole life-cycle approaches to adaptive management strategies for anadromous salmonids (Crozier & Siegel, 2023). Here, we investigated associations between marine survival (adult returns) of Japanese hatchery chum salmon at each life stage and a suite of hypothesized climate-change indicators.…”

The Effect of Climate Change on Salmonid Fishes in Rivers

“…In the last paper of this volume, Crozier and Siegel [19] performed a systematic literature review of climate impacts on Pacific and Atlantic salmon as a resource for stakeholders, managers, and researchers. They review published studies that address climate impacts on salmon from 2010 to 2021.…”