CONSIDERATION OF OCEAN CONDITIONS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SALMON

An ecologically based conceptual foundation is presented as a way to i ncorporate environmental variability in salmon management. The argumen t addresses the problem of accommodating marine environment variabilit y through actions in freshwater. We argue for an approach that conside rs marine and freshwater environments as integral components of a larg er salmonid ecosystem. This contrasts with previous propositions that either relied heavily on technological fixes in the freshwater environ ment or questioned the value of any recovery effort designed to withst and overwhelming ocean forces. Salmon management requires a more holis tic approach incorporating modern understanding of the salmonid ecosys tem and its variability. We suggest two strategies. The first calls fo r deliberate improvement of estuarine and nearshore ocean conditions t hrough regulation of upstream flows, river operations, hatchery produc tion, and other actions. The second calls for improving the resilience of salmon to a variable environment. This requires relaxing anthropog enic factors that hinder the natural range of salmon life history dive rsity within and between populations, a survival mechanism that evolve d in response to changing conditions. These strategies recognize that although the ocean primarily determines overall salmon abundance, mana gement actions, particularly in freshwater, are critical to the abilit y of salmon to cope with a variable ocean environment.