Wild Salmon Center News - October 2023

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, MEET ANCIENT INDIGENOUS FISHING TECHNOLOGY
Right now, in rivers across British Columbia’s Central Coast, we often don’t know how many salmon are returning until after fishing season is done. For fisheries managers here and beyond, that's a big problem when it comes to making nimble conservation decisions. Enter “Salmon Vision,” a first-of-its-kind artificial intelligence tool developed by Wild Salmon Center in partnership with First Nations and other B.C partners . Promising early results of this deep learning computer model were just published in Frontiers in Marine Science, suggesting that this technology could be a game-changer for salmon managers across the Pacific Rim.
[link removed]

STEELHEAD, INTERRUPTED: HEART OF STEEL PART III
As more scientists study alarming and range-wide declines in steelhead, Greg Knox of SkeenaWild—a core Wild Salmon Center partner—thinks mixed-stock marine fishing will prove to be one key culprit. Surprisingly, this gives him hope. Because unlike global warming, we can change the way we fish right now—and see results. “I think we know the future won’t be like the past,” Knox says in Steelhead, Interrupted (Part III in our investigative Heart of Steel series). “But that doesn’t mean that we can’t still have healthy steelhead populations, and even harvest them. We just need a different approach. And we’re already headed in the right direction.”
[link removed]

PINK SALMON ARE SURGING. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR OTHER SPECIES?
A record return pink salmon is expected this year in ports across the North Pacific. But is that good news? A new paper co-authored by Wild Salmon Center scientists shows that pink abundance is surging in response to climate change and ocean heating—and all those pinks are taking a toll on other species of Pacific salmon and steelhead, along with seabirds, humpback whales, and critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales. Pinks are an important economic and food species, but the causes and effects of their rapid expansion aren't yet widely understood. The study— the most comprehensive yet on the species—provides strong evidence that competition for prey is a key factor in the decline in other salmon species.
[link removed]

LAUNCHING THE HAA AANI ALLIANCE COLLECTION!
We're thrilled to share with you the Haa Aani Alliance: a truly beautiful limited-edition winter sports collection with Tlingit artist Crystal Worl that benefits Wild Salmon Center . Participating companies are Smartwool, Zeal Optics, Weston Boards, Pret helmets, and Mountain Eco-Max. WSC will receive a percent of sales from the Canadian and Lower 48 regions, with Alaska sales benefiting Yukon Salmon and European sales going to North Atlantic Salmon Fund. Check out the series now! And note: it's only available through the 2023/2024 winter season.
[link removed]

###

The mission of the Wild Salmon Center is to promote the conservation and sustainable use of wild salmon ecosystems across the Pacific Rim.

Share this email:
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]


Wild Salmon Center
721 NW 9th Avenue
Suite 300
Portland, OR 97209
United States
If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe: [link removed] .