Editor’s Choice 58:9 Identifying a pathway towards recovery for depleted wild Pacific salmon populations in a large watershed under multiple stressors

Associate Editor, Hedley Grantham, introduces this month’s Editor’s Choice article by Lia Chalifour and colleagues, which evaluates the potential benefits of 14 management strategies on 19 conservation units of the five Pacific salmon species in the lower Fraser River, British Columbia, Canada. Salmon are an iconic and globally recognisable species. In the Northeast Pacific they are also an important commercial and recreational fish species with … Continue reading Editor’s Choice 58:9 Identifying a pathway towards recovery for depleted wild Pacific salmon populations in a large watershed under multiple stressors

The road to recovery: New research identifies priority actions for lower Fraser River salmon

In their latest research, Dr Lia Chalifour and colleagues evaluate the potential benefits of 14 management strategies – spanning fisheries, habitat, pollution, pathogens, hatcheries and predation management dimensions – on 19 genetically and ecologically distinct populations of the five Pacific salmon species in the lower Fraser River, British Columbia, Canada. Fisheries closures in British Columbia have become the norm, with ‘good years’ for returning stocks … Continue reading The road to recovery: New research identifies priority actions for lower Fraser River salmon

Editor’s Choice 59:7 The key to seabird conservation – mitigating bycatch from industrial fisheries and eradicating invasive species

Associate Editor, Maria Paniw, introduces this month’s Editor’s Choice article by Dasnon et al., which presents some good news for seabird conservation: combined efforts of avoiding bycatch from commercial fisheries and reducing impacts of invasive species can effectively boost population sizes of vulnerable marine pelagic species. Industrial fishing activities can cause substantial damage, not only to fish stocks but also to pelagic vertebrate predators that … Continue reading Editor’s Choice 59:7 The key to seabird conservation – mitigating bycatch from industrial fisheries and eradicating invasive species

Temporal trends in geographic clines of salmon eggs associated with global warming and hatchery programs

Koh Hasegawa and colleagues describe their latest research examining the geographic clines in Japanese chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta). Many animal and plant species show geographic clines which are often recognized as adaptations to the associated transitional environments. A well-known example is that the body size of bears increase in more northern regions. Even people may notice clines in their daily lives, such as people in … Continue reading Temporal trends in geographic clines of salmon eggs associated with global warming and hatchery programs

Smaller adults and bigger juveniles: how global warming is affecting our fish populations.

There is mounting evidence that climate change is affecting commercial fish species. In their latest research, Ikpewe and colleagues investigate the effect of temperature on fish sizes in two neighbouring regions, displaying contrasting trends in warming. The warming of our oceans due to climate change is affecting marine life in numerous ways.  Fish populations, in particular, are experiencing changes in productivity, distribution, growth and the … Continue reading Smaller adults and bigger juveniles: how global warming is affecting our fish populations.

Editor’s Choice 57:02 – Understanding anglers as spatially mobile human predators in freshwater landscapes

Using the example of a spatial recreational fishery for lake trout in northern Canada, Wilson et al. present an exciting analysis of how human behaviour and local ecological dynamics interact to shape landscape-level outcomes. Associate Editor, Robert Arlinghaus highlights why this article has been selected as an Editor’s Choice. The field of applied ecology is increasingly moving towards studies that integrate human behaviour and ecological … Continue reading Editor’s Choice 57:02 – Understanding anglers as spatially mobile human predators in freshwater landscapes

Predator and scavenger movements as opportunities for pathogen spread among endangered seabirds

Infectious diseases have recently been acknowledged as an important threat for wild populations, notably seabirds. In order to implement efficient surveillance and management programmes, it is critical to look beyond the sick individuals to identify the individuals or species involved in cryptic epidemiological processes, such as pathogen spread. Amandine Gamble et al. summarise their recent research on the potential role of predators and scavengers in … Continue reading Predator and scavenger movements as opportunities for pathogen spread among endangered seabirds

Identifying fishery risk zones for seabird populations

Part of our Spotlight, Management of wide-ranging species, Thomas A. Clay explains how advances in remote tracking technology are offering us a glimpse into the mysterious life of the albatross in the hope of developing conservation measures to protect seabirds from bycatch risks. The authors have adapted this post from an article they previously shared with BirdLife International. Albatrosses are iconic voyagers, well known for … Continue reading Identifying fishery risk zones for seabird populations

Editor’s Choice 56:8 – could periodic fisheries closures become a more mainstream tool in the future?

Associate Editor, Hedley Grantham discusses our August Editor’s Choice article, Optimized fishing through periodically harvested closures by Carvalho et al. Fisheries management, and sustainable marine management more broadly, require an assembly of management strategies to be effective. Two primary fisheries management tools are catch and effort restrictions, which are often not very spatially-specific. In contrast, spatially-explicit permanent fishing closures like no-take marine reserves are an … Continue reading Editor’s Choice 56:8 – could periodic fisheries closures become a more mainstream tool in the future?

Spotlight: Conservation in marine habitats

This month, Journal of Applied Ecology turns its focus to the health of the worlds’ oceans, with a new Spotlight, Conservation in marine habitats. Ignasi Montero-Serra summarizes the importance of this collection of work that provides a variety of cutting-edge tools to quantify the impact of major stressors, and to guide management actions across marine habitats; from the intertidal to the deep sea. Marine habitats … Continue reading Spotlight: Conservation in marine habitats