Ocean surveys show poor outlook for Columbia salmon

摘要

Ocean conditions for salmon headed to sea this year are very poor, according to recent NOAA Fisheries research surveys, and have a high likelihood of depressing salmon returns to the Columbia River in the next few years.The outlook is described in a recent research memorandum from NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC), which has been studying the ecology of young salmon entering the ocean for more than 20 years. The research has helped reveal how conditionsin the ocean affect salmon survival and, ultimately, how many salmon complete their life cycle to return to their home streams and spawn.