Not sure if this has been asked before but im going to ask anyways,

What percentage of the ocean conditions do you think is the problem with the salmon and steelhead runs.. is it 50% 10% what u think..

Well, WDFW points to "the ocean" as being the major problem


I think over fishing in the ocean and inside waters, from Alaska on down....troll fisheries, charter boat, private fishers, gill netting, purse seine.

A large fraction of the problem is "Ocean Conditions". But, OC means a lot of things to a lot of people.

It used to mean abiotic conditions like temperatures, PDO, ENSO and so on. Basically things that "blindside" managers (who might no be looking).

Now, we have a lot going on out there. Certainly warming temperatures, lowering pH, plastics, in addition to PDO and ENSO. Add to that the whole issue (mentioned in another thread) of too many pinks eating all the food, over harvest of just about everything except pinnipeds.

Essentially, Ocean Conditions now means "it's not me, it's you". With so many problems facing salmon it is really easy to point everywhere else for change and solutions.

I suspect that poor ocean conditions account for no more than 25% of the decline in Puget Sound natural Chinook and steelhead. The other 75% would lay at the deterioration of the fresh water habitats. Unfortunately given the changes in climate that we are experience we will see increasingly poorer ocean and fresh water conditions.

Curt