One of the eternal questions asked about the salmon fisheries, especially the ocean fisheries, is why do you chase something all over the place when it is going to come back to you. And, at a much larger size.
Would be interesting to evaluate fisheries based on the pounds of salmon harvested per gallon of fuel used. Especially since there is a finite amount of that fuel.
What a waste on many different levels with salmon being chased and caught at much smaller size while leaving a carbon footprint instead of waiting for full grown mature salmon to come back to their natal terminal areas.
Looking back, the origin of commercial ocean salmon fisheries was to get away from rule and regulations protecting dwindling salmon runs on the Columbia river in the late 1800’s. As sail made way to engine powered ships a more reliable source of transportation would take the ocean commercial fleet even further away from port. The ocean harvest of salmon was an unregulated free for all until 1948 seems to come to mind but I’ll have to double check that.
The premise and reasoning of ocean fleets to get away from regulations was just wrong---not much different today by making rules and regulations to protect ocean salmon harvest or by-catch of salmon by other fisheries not targeting salmon, while leaving escapement goals in terminal areas barren.
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