New Science Paper Looking at the Ecology of Wild Atlantic Salmon in the Marine Environment
The Missing Salmon Alliance welcomes the publication of a new science paper looking at the ecology of wild Atlantic salmon in the marine environment. This important publication is a collaborative effort by scientists from the SeaSalar project led by John Gilbey and senior authors Eric Verspoor, Philip McGinnity, Kjell Utne and Vidar Wennevik. The wide range of contributors to this paper include Professor Ken Whelan, the Research Director at the Atlantic Salmon Trust.
© Richard Davies
We know very little about the ecology of wild Atlantic salmon in the marine environment – limiting our understanding of how better to look after them. Looking at the dramatic decline of wild Atlantic salmon during its marine phase, this paper examines the migration routes of young salmon from different countries with an aim of advancing our understanding of their distribution in the North-east Atlantic during the first year of their migration. In particular, it identifies a key feeding area for southern European post-smolts (such as those from the UK and Ireland), located in international waters immediately west of the Vøring Plateau escarpment, potentially exposing them to high by-catch mortality from major pelagic fisheries.
The study also clearly shows that our understanding of post-smolt marine ecology, with regard to overall biological performance and exposure to mortality factors, can be significantly improved by integrating large datasets across a wide range of studies. The Missing Salmon Alliance’s Likely Suspects Framework is specifically designed to support such an approach.
Read the paper in full here.
As an Alliance of five organisations, we will build on the existing work of our partners and maximise our impact by taking a coordinated approach and vital action in order to halt and reverse the decline of wild Atlantic salmon.
The goal of the Missing Salmon Alliance is to build an evidence-base to influence national and international decision-makers to regulate activities that adversely impact wild Atlantic salmon.
The Missing Salmon Alliance
The MSA is comprised of the following members:
Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, Atlantic Salmon Trust, the Angling Trust with Fish Legal, The Rivers Trust and Fisheries Management Scotland.
https://www.missingsalmonalliance.org