How salmon monitors climate change

BY tracking the long sea journey of a salmon from, say, a remote mountain stream in west Cork to distant Arctic seas, scientists can learn much about climate change.

Wild salmon, in their ocean migrations, are among the world’s most natural and sensitive indicators of climate change, says marine expert, Dr Ken Whelan, but the decline in the number of salmon returning from the Atlantic ocean to their home rivers in Ireland and Britain baffles researchers.

Last year, €10m was spent on 47 ongoing research projects, many under the auspices of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO), and, hopefully, answers to the question of salmon survival will be found. The research should also tell us more about the effects of climate change in the seas and rivers.