Across our oceans, marine species are shifting their ranges, with some expanding into new habitats due to climate change and others being introduced to new areas as invasive species. The Arctic, the fastest-warming region on the planet, is at the forefront of these biodiversity shifts. Here, changes are acute and cumulative, compounding climate-related stressors for species, ecosystems, and communities across the circumpolar region. To address these challenges, there is an urgent need for a framework to support immediate management actions and forward-thinking decision-making.
Pink salmon offer a unique lens through which to explore these changes. These fish are simultaneously expanding their native Pacific range northward into the Arctic and invading the Arctic and Atlantic oceans from a non-native population intentionally introduced in Arctic Russia. Their abundance in the Pacific has reached record levels, driven by industrial-scale hatchery releases and warming temperatures. Pink salmon have spread widely across the Atlantic, colonizing Norway, France, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Greenland, and Canada's eastern coast. Their rapid adaptability is not unprecedented; after being accidentally introduced to the Great Lakes, pink salmon successfully colonized all five lakes from just 21,000 fry. Today, concerns are growing about their potential circumpolar distribution and ecological impacts as a cold-adapted, opportunistic species in a warming Arctic.
In this Editor's Choice article from ICES Journal of Marine Science, Dunmall and colleagues provide a framework to guide the adaptive management of range-expanding and invasive pink salmon in the circumpolar Arctic. Their approach facilitates international collaboration and the exchange of knowledge and resources to promote informed action. The study examines pink salmon's response to continued warming, reviews management actions in the Atlantic to monitor and mitigate their spread, and explores the potential for utilizing pink salmon as a food resource. By identifying knowledge gaps and immediate management priorities, the authors lay a foundation for coordinated responses to this rapidly evolving situation.
This research exemplifies the power of collaboration, drawing on insights from 14 scientists across seven countries, spanning three ocean basins and 13 time zones. By leveraging past and present knowledge, the study outlines a scalable and efficient approach to address biodiversity changes driven by species redistribution, with lessons that extend far beyond pink salmon.
Read the full paper, Invading and range-expanding pink salmon inform management actions for marine species on the move, in ICES Journal of Marine Science.