General

The population of spring-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) has ebbed to the point where fish advocates, Native Americans and environmentalists are warning near-term extinction is a real possibility. Last week, divers conducted the annual fish population survey on an 80-mile stretch of the Salmon River that winds its way near the California-Oregon border, and found the number of spring-run Chinook salmon was just 110. That figure represents the second lowest number in the 20 years of data collection.

Japan’s saury catches are expected to hit a record low from this month to December as the population of the fish shrinks, the Fisheries Agency said Friday. The distribution of saury (Cololabis adocetus) is expected to be reduced further this year after a third consecutive year of poor catches, which means prices for fresh saury are likely to rise, pundits said. The agency confirmed a decline in saury resources in a survey of coastal areas and the high seas from June to July.

After the construction of the storm surge barrier in 1986 a small population of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) seem to have been established in the Eastern Scheldt estuary in the last decades. But since 2009 the number of stranded porpoises found on the Eastern Scheldt shore increased every year, reaching highest level in 2011. In the same year the largest number of harbour porpoises was counted. Considering the number of alive animals counted by annual surveys, the number of stranded individuals is surprisingly high in the last 4 years.

Ein aktueller Bericht des Bundes bestätigt, was unlängst befürchtet wird: Immer mehr Lebensräume, Pflanzen- und Tierarten sind bedroht. Über ein Drittel – weit mehr als in anderen europäischen Ländern – der beobachteten Pflanzen-, Tier- und Pilzarten werden aufgrund der Ergebnisse als bedroht eingestuft. Der häufige Einsatz von Pestiziden im Ackerbau ist verheerend für Insektenpopulationen. Auch in unserem Nachbarland sind die Bestände der Insekten im Sinkflug: In Deutschland ist mancherorts der Fluginsektenbestand seit 1989 um 80 Prozent geschrumpft (naturschutz.ch berichtete).

The vast reduction in insect numbers is indicative of generally declining nature everywhere, from birds to elephants, and wildflowers to frogs and toads. There are exceptions, especially with larger and more charismatic species, including otters and peregrine falcons. Generally, though, the trend is downwards. Because all nature is connected the declines in different groups are connected. Thus, fewer insects means fewer insect-eating birds, such as swallows, swifts and skylarks.

Steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are entrenched in the economy, ecology, and culture of the Pacific Northwest. Declining numbers of steelhead in the rivers flowing through British Columbia, Washington state, and Oregon are troubling fishers and fisheries managers alike. A new study published today in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (CJFAS) shows that survival of young steelhead trout in ocean environments has also been precipitously declining.

Nur gerade 600 Kilogramm Fische haben die Patent-Angler im vergangenen Jahr aus dem Linthkanal zwischen Walensee und Oberem Zürichsee gezogen. Das ist der geringste Fangertrag seit der Einführung der entsprechenden Statistiken im Jahr 1940, wie aus dem am Dienstag veröffentlichten Jahresbericht der Fischereikommission für Zürichsee, Linthkanal und Walensee hervorgeht. Besonders stark betroffen von dem Rückgang im seit 2013 fertig renaturierten Kanal sind die Forellen (Oncorhynchus mykiss).