Fish Factor: Salmon catches remain near all-time highs

Salmon abundance in the North Pacific has declined slightly over the past decade, but salmon catches remain near all-time highs.

For nearly 30 years the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC) has summarized abundances and catches of salmon as reported by its five member countries - Canada, Japan, Korea, Russia, and the U.S. The Commission tracks all salmon species caught in the North Pacific, Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk, and also provides the venue for coordinating research and enforcement activities.

For 2018, the total salmon catch topped one million metric tons, or more than...