Abstract
The Chinook or king salmon is a high-value seafood choice given its fat content and nutritional value. The global shift to healthy diets and sustainable food sources has increased the worldwide demand for the king salmon significantly. Increased harvesting of this species has led to declining populations that threaten sustainability. Farmed Chinook, particularly from New Zealand, has helped in meeting the high demand while preserving the wild Chinook.
Although policies, rules, and regulations are effective means of ensuring that the king salmon is not overharvested, and its habitats are well conserved, there is a need for consumer awareness to promote wise seafood choices. When customers choose fishes that have been harvested sustainably, and whose stocks are sufficient they help in maintaining a healthy aquatic balance in the ocean.
King/Chinook Salmon
The Chinook salmon is one of the five Pacific salmon species. Its scientific name is Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. The other salmon species found in the Pacific include sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka), pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch), and chum (Oncorhynchus keta) (Marine Stewardship Council, 2016). Of the five subtypes, the Chinook is the largest, thus, the name king salmon. It weighs approximately eleven to eighteen pounds (Seafood Choices, n.d). The fish is captured in Alaska, Pacific Northwest USA, British Columbia, California, Russia, Japan, and Canada (MSC, 2016; Marine Conservation Society, n.d).
According to the Marine Conservation Society (n.d) and the MSC (2016), the king salmon is a sustainable seafood choice. The MSC and the Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) Certification Program have certified it as sustainable (MCS, n.d). The Marine Conservation Society (n.d) gives the king salmon a sustainability rating of two meaning that it is a good choice for consumption but some aspects its production and management could use some improvement. The Alaskan Chinook is the most intensively managed species globally due to the excellent monitoring of the stock and fishery in Alaska. The freshwater habitats in Alaska are well conserved, and the Chinook from this region does not encounter the damming and deforestation issues like those seen in California and the Northwest part of the Pacific (SeaChoice, n.d). Therefore, The Alaskan wild Chinook is rated as a best choice. The current abundance of the Alaskan salmon stock shows that the State’s management policies and regulation are effective (SeaChoice, n.d). Another best option is the farmed Chinook from New Zealand (SeaChoice, n.d).
The king salmon has the highest market price compared to the other four species. Its high oil content accounts for its popularity among consumers. The amount of oil content in salmon fishes is dependent on the distance that the fish swims to its spawning ground (Seafood Choices, n.d). The greater the distance swam, the higher the amount of oil. For Instance, the Yukon River Chinook may swim approximately 2,000 miles in two months to get to the Canadian spawning ground. Upon capture at sea, before it enters the river, it can have as high as 25% of oil content (Seafood Choices, n.d). The significant amount of oil makes it a rich meat. It is a good source of Omega-3 fats and essential minerals that are necessary for optimal health and good nutrition. In addition, the king salmon improves the immune system and bone health.
According to Seafood Watch (n.d), fishing methods can have significant adverse impacts on the aquatic environment and fish populations. It is, therefore, imperative for anglers to select the right gear and fishing methods that will minimize this damage. In most cases, Chinooks are captured in the sea by trolling or gill netting. In rivers, fish wheels are used to catch the king salmon. Gillnetting involves the use of net curtains. Fishermen suspend the nets in the ocean or anchor them to the seabed. The nets catch fish by their gills as they try to swim past. This method sometimes entangles and kills untargeted sea creatures such as turtles and sharks. The utilization of nets with standard openings that correspond with the target fish reduces the amount of bycatch significantly. In Alaska, gillnetting is used sustainably to catch salmon due to the low populations of bycatch in Alaskan waters. Trolling involves the use of poles and baited lines to capture individual fish. Anglers can release unwanted species into the sea quickly making trolling a more sustainable technique than gillnetting.
Worldwide, New Zealand is the largest producer of farmed Chinook salmon. The Chinook aquaculture began in the early 1900s in New Zealand. The king salmon is the only successfully reared type of salmon. New Zealand Chinook is a sustainable seafood choice, and it has been rated as one of the best options by several marine organizations (SeaChoice, nd). Farmed Chinook reduces the demand for wild king salmon significantly. It is, therefore, a more sustainable practice compared to relying solely on wild salmon.
Salmon hatch in freshwater and move to the ocean where they spend part of their lives. Later, they migrate back to freshwater for spawning after which they die. Ocean Chinook fishing targets fish as they enter rivers for spawning. In rivers, anglers target the fish as they move upstream. Stock management policies and regulations should aim at combating overfishing by ensuring that sufficient numbers reach the spawning ground. In Alaska, the diminishing number of Chinook fish returning to the rivers necessitated the introduction and implementation of strict on fisheries. Restrictions on fishing permits regarding fishing methods, gear, number, season, and fishing locations are helpful in improving Chinook yields to a harvestable surplus. Since the different salmon species migration and spawning timing are different, the variations can be used to develop stock management practices for each species (Clark et al., 2015).
Effective population management combines several aspects such as habitat conservation, restricted harvest, yields promotion, and public support (Kolding & van Zwieten, 2014). It is imperative for stock managers to involve the public in stock preservation efforts. Public awareness promotes wise seafood choices whereby consumers prefer fishes harvested using sustainable methods and from areas that have sufficient populations.
References
Clark, S. C., Tanner, T. L., Sethi, S. A., Bentley, K. T., & Schindler, D. E. (2015). Migration Timing of Adult Chinook Salmon into the Togiak River, Alaska, Watershed: Is There Evidence for Stock Structure? Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 144(4), 829-836.
Kolding, J., & van Zwieten, P. A. (2014). Sustainable fishing of inland waters. J. Limnol, 73(s1), 128-144.
Marine Conservation Society. (n.d). Salmon, Chinook, Kong Salmon. Retrieved Aug. 8, 2016, from http://www.goodfishguide.org/fish/208/Salmon,%20Chinook,%20King%20Salmon
Marine Stewardship Council. (2016). Alaska salmon. Retrieved Aug. 8, 2016, from https://www.msc.org/track-a-fishery/fisheries-in-the-program/certified/pacific/alaska-salmon/alaska-salmon
SeaChoice Organization. (n.d). Salmon. Retrieved Aug. 8. 2016, from http://www.seachoice.org/fish/salmon/
Seafood Choices. (n.d). Salmon, Chinook. Retrieved Aug.8, 2016, from http://www.seafoodchoices.com/archived%20smartchoices/species_salmonchinook.php
Seafood Watch. (n.d). Fishing and farming methods. Retrieved Aug. 8, 2016, from http://www.seafoodwatch.org/ocean-issues/fishing-and-farming-methods
