"This technical memorandum describes modeling analyses done for a series of three bilateral workshops investigating the effects of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) fishing on Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW, Orcinus orca). The workshops were held September 2011 in Seattle, Washington, March 2012 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and September 2012 in Seattle. They were jointly convened by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)and the Fisheries and Oceans Canada in order to evaluate scientific information and analyses being used by NMFS to evaluate the effects on SRKWs of prey reduction by salmon fisheries. Both the whales and their salmon prey inhabit transboundary waters, thus effective management of both species is a bilateral issue. Material presented during these workshops was critically evaluated by a panel of prominent biologists with expertise in ecology, fisheries science, and marine mammal biology, with the goal of evaluating the strength of evidence and inferences presented by the agencies and their partners"--Executive summary, paragraph 1.

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

United States