Regional differences in climate factors controlling chum and pink salmon abundance

Abstract

Chum and pink salmon abundances vary on a decadal time-scale. We examined the relationship between large-scale climate indices (CIs), regional climate factors (RFs), and rates of change in regional catches (RCs) of chum and pink salmon in five regions of the North Pacific. Correlation coefficients of RCs with RFs were larger than those of RCs with CIs, although the correlation coefficient of particular variables varied among regions. Climate affected salmon stocks as indicated by significant relationships with various terrestrial and ocean climate factors on a regional scale. These results suggest that no single CI or RF controls salmon abundance in all regions; however, global climate changes could affect regional climate directly and regional salmon abundance indirectly. A warming trend in the North Pacific might affect the long-term change in salmon abundance. The mechanisms controlling regional salmon abundance must be understood better to forecast successfully future conditions for Pacific salmon stocks, because the response of salmon stocks to global climate change varies among regions. © 2011 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.