Three Case Studies of Cooperative Research and Management of Shared Salmon Resources in Southeast Alaska and Northern British Columbia

摘要

Under the Pacific Salmon Treaty, the Transboundary Technical Committee is responsible for cooperative research programs to provide data to manage fisheries during the fishing season and to estimate escapements of transboundary river salmon stocks. Wepresent three case studies that illustrate evolution of research programs and management structures and demonstrate responses to conservation concerns. The case studies 1) document the evolution of research programs that provide data for cooperative Stikine River sockeye salmon management, 2) document fishery managers' response to low Alsek River sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka escapements and the development of research programs in response to the concern, and 3) outline multiagency research programsthat will attempt to determine causes underlying a decline in Taku chum salmon O. keta abundance. We describe some of the processes that have worked and situations where problems still remain. Within the committee, the United States and Canada evaluatetransboundary river salmon research programs, develop cooperative programs where personnel from both departments are actively involved in data collection and analysis, and develop a protocol where fishery managers use a common data set on which to base their management actions. The committee meets prior to each fishing season to finalize research plans, establish harvest guidelines, and refine management models. During the fishing season, researchers from each country exchange data and managers confer on planned fishery openings.