Recent Changes in the Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Salmon Habitat in the North Pacific

Abstract Excerpt:
As the oceans warm, marine heat waves (MHW) have gained attention. The 2014–2016 MHW in the northeast Pacific, in particular, catalyzed increased interest in the causes and consequences of widespread, intense, and persistent warming. For a few decades now, researchers have recognized correlations between decadal-scale warming and cooling cycles and cycles of salmonid productivity. Generally, warming has negative impacts on salmon stocks from warmer parts of the North Pacific, and positive effects on stocks in colder regions. Thus, the 2014–2016 MHW in the northeast Pacific was an alarming event to fishery managers in the continental USA.