This year from Alaska to California rivers and streams on the Pacific Coast of North America are counting record breaking numbers of salmon. Here’s a collection of news clipping reporting on the fact that the fish have returned. Naturally scientists are looking for something unusual that might have happened in the open ocean salmon territory that could account for the hundreds of millions of extra fish. The only event that can be found is the spectacular plankton bloom that resulted from our ocean pasture restoration project last summer. When the volcano of 2008 brought back an extra 40 million sockeye salmon to the Fraser River in 2010 I wrote the the song 40 Million Salmon Can’t Be Wrong. It is pure joy this year following our efforts to improve on the volcanic bloom of 2008 to hear a new cohort of salmon singing. For some context in 2012 the Alaska catch was 124 million fish, 2011 it was 176 million fish, in 2010 = 175 million, in 2009 = 162 million and in 2008 = 146 million fish.

Pink salmon reaching Fraser River in massive numbers

Published Thursday, Sep. 12 2013, 8:14 PM EDT Last updated Thursday, Sep. 12 2013, 8:14 PM EDT MARK HUME VANCOUVER — The Globe and Mail

Last month, there were so few sockeye salmon in the Fraser River that all fishing was banned. But this week, with wave after wave of pink salmon arriving, the fishery was opened and processing plants were quickly overwhelmed by the huge numbers of salmon coming in. The massive return of one species – pinks – coming on the heels of a disastrous run of another – sockeye – may be linked to a dramatic shift in ocean conditions last year. And it has raised questions about the possible role of a controversial experiment that took place when the Haida Salmon Restoration Corp. dumped iron material in the ocean last summer, stimulating plankton growth just as the pink salmon were moving through the area. September 26, 2013 at 8:28 AM

Pink salmon-mania has faded, but coho bite picks up in northern Puget Sound rivers

Posted by Mark Yuasa