The Likely Suspects Framework for Atlantic salmon: Workshop to develop a project roadmap
For the Missing Salmon Alliance to take the lead in delivering its ambitious Likely Suspects Framework (LSF) programme (see further reading), a clear plan is needed detailing the necessary steps to align the short-term work plan with other initiatives, and to focus MSA resources required. Producing a “project roadmap” for the LSF was the focus of our most recent workshop on 28th May 2020 with an invited panel of 18 international experts from 8 countries.
This important workshop provided a valuable focused review of the LSF programme’s short-term objectives and prioritised tasks and resources. By inviting and collating responses from such a wide range of experts, the LSF programme, under the leadership of the MSA, has also gained valuable international recognition, relevance and clarity within the salmon management community.
The workshop had three main objectives:
1. Agree the scope and format of an LSF project plan (the roadmap)
2. Highlight knowledge gaps and identify opportunities for collaborative work
3. Agree the Terms of Reference for an ICES Benchmark workshop being planned on salmon mortality at sea (see further reading).
The workshop made 12 recommendations grouped under the themes of data acquisition, method development, and providing guidance to managers. These are summarised below.
• LSF project plan must focus on recognised end points of producing a decision-support tool and highlight connections between projects
• Identifying data resources and gaps is an important focus in developing a more complete understanding of salmon mortality
• Conducting a comprehensive gap analysis is valuable if it incorporates information from the wider salmon community
• The data management approach being taken by the LSF team was appropriate and valuable.
• The next ICES benchmark workshop on salmon at sea should prioritise certain questions the LSF project aims to answer (the hypotheses) and explore ways to acquire and use data to test them
• The proceedings of the workshop intend to form the basis of a collaborative manuscript to represent the progress of the LSF initiative and positioning of the research community for submission to a suitable scientific journal.
By developing the recommendations of the workshop over the coming year, and conducting regular progress reviews, the MSA’s Likely Suspects Framework programme team can focus their activities in the areas where the international science community agree they can make a positive impact on assisting salmon conservation and management efforts. Further reading
The Missing Salmon Alliance
The MSA is comprised of the following members:
Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, Atlantic Salmon Trust, and the Angling Trust with Fish Legal
https://www.missingsalmonalliance.org