Half of wild Pacific salmon in good shape, the other half needs help.
Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) has released the first edition of its sustainability overview of fisheries that supply five commercial species of wild Pacific Salmon (Chinook, chum, coho, pink, and sockeye salmon). The overview is based on information from FishSource.com, SFP’s online fisheries information resource. The report can be found at: www.sustainablefish.org.
SFP’s analysis shows that just over half (51%) of the global supply of wild Pacific salmon comes from fisheries in good shape, while just under half (49%) comes from fisheries in need of significant improvements. While the large majority of salmon fisheries in good shape are located in Alaska, the report highlights that there are good, medium, and poor salmon fisheries in each salmon-producing region (Alaska, British Columbia, Russia, Japan, and the US Pacific Northwest). Therefore, to understand and assess salmon sustainability, buyers and consumers need to know which fishery, not just which region, their fish are coming from.
Salmon hatcheries remain a leading sustainability concern across all salmon-producing regions. While research and monitoring for hatchery impacts to wild salmon remain largely inadequate in most areas, global production of hatchery fish has increased over the past 15 years, and discussions are underway in all salmon-producing regions around further increases in hatchery production. Illegal fishing and management of mixed-stock fisheries are also sustainability concerns.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP)