Salty
2013-04-11 17:28:58
Leon Shaul made the most interesting presentation I have heard in years yesterday at the Joint Southeast Regional Salmon Enhancement Plan Team meeting. In a nutshell he explained why our coho size in SE is declining while pink size is increasing. He told us that the primary food for SE salmon migrating offshore is this small squid, b anonychus. It is the primary offshore diet for coho and important for all the salmonids except chums, who mostly eat more gelatinous stuff, like jelly fish. That in really big pink years there seems to be competition for these squid and other salmon size and survivals suffer.
Interesting in that the color of this squid is almost exactly what a couple of the most popular coho hootchies are. Also really interesting that the highest abundance of these squid documented was in the summer of 93 when coho that were going to return in 94 would have been out there feeding on them. 94 was one of the best coho returns and troll harvest in the history of SE Alaska.
I will contact Leon and see if he will post his power point on line. Not quite the same as him explaining all the graphs etc. but really interesting stuff.