An ongoing decline in population monitoring could be putting salmon at risk, according to a .
Over the past decade, the decline worsened, with no reported or estimated data for nearly two-thirds of salmon populations that have historically been monitored. This lack of information significantly impedes conservation efforts, says Emma Atkinson, PhD student and lead author of the paper.
“Seventy per cent of salmon are below their long-term average abundance, and effective conservation and management start with robust monitoring — data we need now more than ever to advance salmon resilience in the face of climate change.”
In the past, monitoring has been connected with the fishing industry, with a priority on tracking commercially valuable populations. However, the study’s authors say data are needed for all salmon populations to properly gauge which are healthy and which could be at risk. They suggest technologies like drones and artificial intelligence could be useful to help with data collection.