A perspective on physiological studies supporting the provision of scientific advice for the management of Fraser River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

Abstract

Science advice based on physiology is supporting harvest decisions for sockeye salmon by providing a mechanistic understanding for in river mortality. This success is a function of political will, clarity in management objectives, and science management integration. Uncertainty in results and institutional caution are major challenges for using science advice.

From frustration to fruition in applied conservation research and practice: ten revelations

“…I would argue that it is impossible to be effective as an applied ecologist if one does not develop rich and meaningful partnerships with relevant stakeholders (e.g., anglers, bird watchers, environmentalists, members of the public) and end users (e.g., resource managers and policy makers in various sectors including government, NGO, and industry; Braunisch et al 2012). There is a growing body of literature (confirmed by my own experiences; see Cooke 2011) that partnership begins well before any science is Patterson et al (2016Patterson et al ( , 2017 Identified opportunities for improving fish passage for lake sturgeon Lake sturgeon populations have suffered from fragmentation, but fish passage facilities offer opportunities for restoring connectivity. Yet, when fish passage facilities have been developed for sturgeon, they have often failed to successfully pass fish.…”

Biotelemetry informing management: case studies exploring successful integration of biotelemetry data into fisheries and habitat management

“…The sheer number of highly invested groups in the sockeye salmon fishery creates an incredibly complex and bureaucratic environment where any regulatory changes are heavily scrutinized and slow to progress (Young et al 2013); however, the physiological biotelemetry information enabled managers to better communicate to the different groups why curtailing the fishery was the appropriate conservation action. The growing understanding of links between stock-specific mortality and critical temperature thresholds derived from biotelemetry (and some laboratory studies) were used to improve quantitative models that predict in-river losses (Macdonald et al 2010), supporting decisions to reduce fisheries (in all sockeye stocks, not just late runs) when river temperatures were high and to expand harvest during cooler periods (reviewed in Patterson et al 2016).…”

“…Finally, Pacific salmon is one of the most researched fish assemblages in the world, with an incredibly complex management system to match. Unsurprisingly, management has benefitted from the prodigious research, especially the integration of biotelemetry science with management objectives, but this integration is highly nuanced and the direct translation of science information to management decisions is often cryptic to outside observers (Patterson et al 2016). Institutional resistance in the management system, driven in part by high monetary value of the fishery and complex relationships among vested interest groups, has limited the amount of and speed at which new information can change management practices (Young et al 2013).…”

Thermal performance of fish is explained by an interplay between physiology, behaviour, and ecology

“…As a consequence, current and predicted temperature increases under climate change will act as a strong agent of change in many ecosystems (Walther et al, 2002;Parmesan and Yohe, 2003;Deutsch et al, 2015;Stuart-Smith et al, 2015). Such predictions of changes in species ecology based on physiological function are important to ensure appropriate policy and management response to changing environments and expected effects on organisms (McKenzie et al, 2016;Patterson et al, 2016). However, the nature of these changes can be difficult to predict as temperature effects scale from individuals to species and ecosystems.…”