Loganotron

So says an article over at Salon.com. Of course, a rebound this year does not suggest a long-term rebound. Very interesting article on the factors affecting the salmon population.

“The ocean looks in better condition now than I’ve seen in 25 years, except for the salmon,” Collins says. “There’s more rock cod, more marine mammal predators, and the sardines are back. The ocean is full of life.”

It looks like this is going to be “a great year to be a baby salmon,” says MacFarlane. “I hope that turns out to be true; we really need good ocean conditions and low predation to start rebuilding that stock.”

Still, say the scientists, the future of the salmon, and the seas, remains precarious. Oceans worldwide face the long-term problems of acidification, pollution and hypoxia. Freshwater rivers are increasingly stressed. And regions of the ocean that are still generally healthy, such as those off the California and Oregon coast, have proved how vulnerable they are to short-term variability.