Genetics of century-old fish scales reveal population patterns of decline
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| Authors: | Price, MHH; Connors, BM; Candy, JR; McIntosh, B; Beacham, TD; Moore, JW; Reynolds, JD |
| Year: | 2019 |
| Journal: | Conserv. Lett. Article Link (DOI) |
| Title: | Genetics of century-old fish scales reveal population patterns of decline |
| Abstract: | Conservation scientists rarely have the information required to understand changes in abundance over more than a few decades, even for important species like Pacific salmon. Such lack of historical information can underestimate the magnitude of decline for depressed populations. We applied genetic tools to a unique collection of 100-year-old salmon scales to reveal declines of 56%-99% in wild sockeye populations across Canada's second largest salmon watershed, the Skeena River. These analyses reveal century-long declines that are much greater than those based on modern era abundance data, which suggested that only 7 of 13 populations declined over the last five decades. Populations of larger-bodied fish have declined the most in abundance, likely because of size-selective commercial fisheries. Our findings illustrate how a deep historical perspective can expand our understanding of past abundances to a time before species incurred significant losses from fishing, and help inform conservation for diminished populations. |
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