The goal of this study was to analyze the relationship between salmon productivity and climate conditions in British Columbia (BC), which may have broader implications for ocean ecosystems in a changing climate. We utilized data from 95 different locations sampled in a study by Ogden et al. (2015) that took place along the BC coast and surrounding the archipelago of Haida Gwaii. This dataset included figures on the number of recruits per spawning salmon, the number of spawners, and the number of returning salmon for the time period between 1950 and 2013. We were then able to append climate data from those years to our dataset and analyze the relationship between salmon spawning and recruitment with the average temperatures and average precipitation per year from each location to analyze trends.

Minor variations in salmon productivity over this time period were observed, with the number of Recruits per Spawner being slightly negatively influenced by increases in temperature and the number of Returns being positively influenced. The minor trends observed could indicate that climatic changes are affecting certain aspects of salmon lifecycles and therefore, continual monitoring of Pacific salmon productivity is imperative to ensure the protection of economically and ecologically critical species.