Pacific salmon face many challenges and uncertainties associated with environmental variability such as
climate change. It is more important than ever that we promote new international cooperative research that
provides better scientific information on the ecological mechanisms regulating production of anadromous
populations and climate impacts in North Pacific marine ecosystems.
The North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC) and North Atlantic Salmon Conservation
Organization (NASCO) are leading a major initiative entitled “International Year of the Salmon (IYS)”.
IYS provides an international framework for collaborative outreach and research. These efforts will raise
awareness of the challenges salmon face for improved stewardship during this period of increased
environmental variability.
The IYS overarching theme is “Salmon and People in a Changing World” with six subthemes: (1) Status
of Salmon; (2) Salmon in a Changing Salmosphere; (3) New Frontiers; (4) Human Dimension; (5)
Information Systems; and (6) Outreach and Communication. IYS is stimulating investment in research
expected to provide a legacy of knowledge, data/information systems and tools, and help train a new
generation of scientists better equipped to provide timely advice to improve stewardship of salmon. In
addition, the IYS program is connected to the 2016-2020 NPAFC Science Plan, whose research themes
are (1) Status of Pacific salmon and steelhead trout; (2) Pacific salmon and steelhead trout in a changing
North Pacific Ocean; (3) New technologies; (4) Management systems; and (5) Integrated information
systems. Annual progress for each research theme is reviewed at a series of NPAFC-IYS workshops
including the present one.


Workshop Objectives:
 Improve knowledge of the migration, growth and survival of salmon and their environments;
 Increase understanding of the causes of variations in salmon production in changing environments;
 Anticipate future changes in salmon ecosystems and resulting changes in the distribution, survival,
and abundance of salmon;
 Discuss application of new and developing technologies and analytical methods to research and
manage of salmon;
 Demonstrate integrated information/data management systems to support research, sustainable
management, and understanding for the conservation of salmon; and
 Describe policies designed to ensure the resilience of salmon and people in changing environments.