Federal fisheries scientists speaking out on king salmon and
ocean acidification issues will be among the keynote speakers at the 2013
Alaska Marine Science Symposium in Anchorage Jan. 21-24. The event is free and those interested can register at http://www.alaskamarinescience.org/registration.html
Ed Farley of the Alaska Fisheries science Center’s Auke Bay
Laboratories will deliver an address on Chinook salmon and the marine
environment during the first day of the symposium. Jeremy Mathis, of the
Pacific Marine Environmental Lab, will discuss preparing for challenges of
ocean acidification in Alaska.
Recent sharp declines in Chinook salmon returns to Alaska
have led to disaster declarations by the state and federal government. There
have also been two recent well-attended meetings, in Anchorage and then in the
Matanuska Valley, to discuss issues related to the demise of the king salmon.
The Anchorage symposium included scientific presentations
and panel discussions involving experts from the state, federal, university and
private sectors that helped to identify knowledge gaps in Chinook salmon
research.
Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell has said he will include $10
million in his 2014 budget for a research initiative to study Chinook salmon
issues.
Ocean acidification is another issue of major concern to
Alaska fisheries.
Mathis noted that new data from ship-based and moored
observations, species manipulation experiments and model outputs continue to
show that ocean acidification is an imminent and potentially disruptive threat
for coastal waters of Alaska. It is a complex problem that will require a
multilateral approach to solve, but with a concerted, well-coordinated effort,
we can sustain Alaska’s fisheries, Mathis said.
Also scheduled to give keynote addresses are Jessica Miller
of the Oregon State University Department of fisheries and Wildlife, and Judith
Connor of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
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