10th June: Warming springtime waters will mean more salmon in the Arctic, research shows

Pacific salmon are taking advantage of warming waters to venture further and further north, into Arctic regions where they previously weren’t accustomed to living.

That’s according to a new study from researchers at the University of Alaska in collaboration with Indigenous fishers.

The presence of salmon in Western Arctic communities has been known for more than 20 years, but it’s becoming more common.

“They’ve been catching salmon for generations in some communities. In other communities it’s much more recent,” said Karen Dunmall, a research scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and co-author of the study.

“But in the last 20 years or so, they’re catching more and more salmon in more places. Lots of species are showing up, and they have questions about it.”