Marine Ecology of Gulf of Maine Atlantic Salmon. Summary Document from a 2008-2010 Series of Workshops.

摘要

Within Maine, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) primarily focuses on Atlantic salmon life stages in the estuarine and marine environments, while both the Maine Department of Marine Resources Bureau of Sea-Run Fisheries and Habitat and the US Fish and Wildlife Service focus on freshwater life stages and habitats. NOAA Fisheries also works closely with other federal agencies (particularly the US Geological Survey), the the University of Maine System, and a wide range of state, academic, public and private partners, to identify, quantify, and minimize threats to Atlantic salmon; conserve and enhance habitat; and evaluate progress toward recovery by assessing the viability of these populations at critical life history stages. Building on these efforts, NOAA Fisheries and Maine Sea Grant hosted a series of workshops between 2008 and 2010 focused on the migratory and saltwater phases of Gulf of Maine Atlantic salmon populations. The goal of the workshops was to explore changes in marine survival of Gulf of Maine Atlantic salmon, and to generate an interdisciplinary synthesis of the universe in which salmon exist and factors affecting their marine survival. The workshops focused on the marine ecology of emigrating postsmolts from coastal Maine to Greenland, and on the return migration of adults. This document briefly summarizes the status of Atlantic salmon in the Gulf of Maine, and prioritizes research questions about marine survival developed during the workshops.