Salmon Expert Panel

Expert Panel Leads: Harmony Wayner (University of Alaska Fairbanks) and Jamie O'Connor (Intertidal Consulting)

The Salmon Expert Panel, convened under the Research Networking Activities for Sustained Coordinated Observations of Arctic Change (RNA CoObs) and the Sustained Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) Roadmap for Observing and Data Systems (ROADS) initiative, is advancing community-driven salmon observing systems in the Bristol Bay watershed of Alaska. Co-created by Indigenous leaders, local knowledge holders, fisheries managers, and researchers, the panel integrates ecological, social, and cultural knowledge to identify critical observing gaps from river to sea. Building from Alaska-based efforts toward a pan-Pacific dialogue, the team’s work emphasizes equity, data sovereignty, and the Two-Eyed Seeing approach to co-production. Key outcomes will include developing an implementation strategy for the development of an open-access Salmon Data Portal and actionable recommendations for observation providers and funders. By aligning community well-being with research and management priorities, the panel aims to create a replicable model for sustainable salmon monitoring and stewardship across the Arctic and North Pacific regions.

The goal of the Salmon Expert Panel is to convene a group of individuals with expertise in salmon to develop observing and data management plans that support decision-making and research. 

• We aim to bring together experts on salmon from Southwestern Alaska and are open to broader collaboration. 

• Societal and community benefits are at the heart of this effort. 

• Our goal is to provide recommendations to funders to boost salmon observing efforts and data sharing in this region and internationally around gaps and needs identified by the expert panelists. This is in line with the goals of the ROADS process develop plans and recommendations to sustain long-term observing and data sharing systems. 

Left: View of skiffs and drift vessels in Naknek, Alaska. Right: Sockeye salmon drying in the smokehouse. Photo credit: Harmony Wayner.

The panel is in Phase I of the SAON ROADS process and has the following immediate goals:

•  Convene to understand the scope and purpose of the theme; what data and information exist, potential gaps being addressed through the work, and the societal benefits related to salmon information. 

•  Develop documentation to explain the chosen theme around salmon in Western Alaska, how the benefit assessment will proceed, the anticipated impacts on observing and data systems and the proposed composition of the EP.

•  Develop a communication and engagement plan to support collaboration and transparent decision-making among the panel participants. 

Read more about the goals of the expert panel and the relationship between salmon and well-being in this blog post.