Researchers looking at 50 years of salmon data in Bristol Bay recently reached a conclusion that informs the future of all Alaska fisheries:
Population diversity within a species is critical to maintaining the long-term health of a fishery.
The new study led by researchers at the University of Washington shows that without its current population diversity, the Bristol Bay sockeye fishery would close ten times more frequently than it does currently once every two to three years rather than once every 25 years. The salmon species diversity in Bristol Bay works like a diversified portfolio, buffering against downturns. Researchers call this diversity the "portfolio effect."
What is the lesson here? As it turns out, the smart management of fish is not unlike the smart management of an investment portfolio -- diversity is key. Perhaps this is a conclusion many of us already knew, or at least believed, as local and traditional knowledge indicates. But now one of the world's most prestigious scientific journals, Nature, provides solid evidence that fisheries managers must change course and place a higher priority on preserving population diversity within species rather than just maximizing yield across species or regions.
This change in strategy will not only maintain thriving fish and ecosystems into the future, but just as importantly, it will support vibrant local economies. How do we accomplish this in Alaska? It means developing new strategies to protect freshwater habitat that is critical to species diversity. It means having the discipline not to overfish the hottest stock of the day. It means increasing funding for research and stock management by the Department of Fish and Game. It means making sure that production from hatcheries is not reducing salmon population diversity. It means increasing trust between fishers and managers so they can work cooperatively. It means treating our natural resources as carefully as we treat our financial resources because here in Alaska these two things are the same.
Let us not go down the same road that folks in the Lower 48 have in regards to their salmon and salmon habitat. We must keep our free-flowing, clean rivers and the wild salmon that thrive in them, and we must preserve the diversity within salmon throughout Alaska. Maintaining salmon diversity ensures the health and resilience of salmon, our fishing economy, and our cultural identity as Alaskans. Without clear thinking, our story will mirror that of Washington, Oregon and British Columbia: Loss of habitat and species diversity will accelerate, spending on remediation will be up, wild fish will be down, and there will be no clear end in sight. These are outcomes we cannot afford.
Erica McCall Valentine is the director of Ecotrust's Copper River Program, which is based in Cordova.
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