'Open gates' in warming Arctic are expanding salmon range

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New research has connected warming ocean temperatures to higher Pacific salmon abundance in the Canadian Arctic, an indicator that climate change is creating new corridors for the fish to expand their range.

Salmon haven't historically been seen in large numbers in the Arctic Ocean and its watersheds, but in recent years incidental catches by subsistence fishermen have occasionally surged. Researchers working together with communities in the western Canadian Arctic, connected those salmon booms with a sequence of warm, ice-free conditions in the Arctic Ocean north of Alaska.

"You need both gates to be open, which is fascinating in itself," said Curry Cunningham, an associate professor at UAF's College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences."If they don't align in terms of having open, ice-free water, salmon don't turn that corner." Karen Dunmall, a research scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said such range expansion concerns many people in the region.

"I had to ask, 'What kind of fish was that?'" Dillon said of the chum salmon."It's the first time I'd seen it in my life. I'd only seen them on TV before." "It's not as if these fish are all skipping Alaska and heading to Canada," said Joe Langan, who co-led the project as a UAF postdoctoral fellow."Some of these salmon are ending up on Alaska's North Slope too."A massive new analysis of high seas salmon surveys is enhancing the understanding of salmon ecology, adding details about where various species congregate in the North Pacific Ocean and their ...

 

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'Open gates' in warming Arctic are expanding salmon rangeNew research has connected warming ocean temperatures to higher Pacific salmon abundance in the Canadian Arctic, an indicator that climate change is creating new corridors for the fish to expand their range.
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