ABSTRACT
Since the turn of the century, Pacific Northwest ocean fisheries for salmon have undergone remarkable changes. From their beginnings as the last frontier to escape the jurisdictional reach of state and federal management, these fisheries are now being subjected to intensive and extensive regulation. Today there is increasing societal concern for impacts on the salmon resource base caused by ocean salmon fisheries that harvest extraordinarily complex mixtures of stocks with different productivities. Computer simulation models have become important tools for managing ocean salmon fisheries, as demands for more detailed and precise information have escalated. Regulations are becoming ever more complex and intricate with various interests vying to squeeze out the last drop of fishing opportunity that political processes will permit. Yet, at the same time, funding for resource management is declining and public trust in government and regulation is rapidly disappearing. Within this social climate, sustainability of ocean fisheries for Pacific salmon will require a new management paradigm rooted in better information about the salmon populations and principles of risk aversion.
