Population diversity and the portfolio effect in an exploited species

Daniel E. Schindler (), Ray Hilborn, Brandon Chasco, Christopher P. Boatright, Thomas P. Quinn, Lauren A. Rogers and Michael S. Webster
Additional contact information
Daniel E. Schindler: School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355020, Seattle, Washington 98195-5020, USA
Ray Hilborn: School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355020, Seattle, Washington 98195-5020, USA
Brandon Chasco: School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355020, Seattle, Washington 98195-5020, USA
Christopher P. Boatright: School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355020, Seattle, Washington 98195-5020, USA
Thomas P. Quinn: School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355020, Seattle, Washington 98195-5020, USA
Lauren A. Rogers: School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355020, Seattle, Washington 98195-5020, USA
Michael S. Webster: The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, 1661 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, California 94304, USA

Nature, 2010, vol. 465, issue 7298, 609-612

Abstract: Population diversity boosts fishery resilience The role of species diversity in ecosystem stability is well appreciated, but population diversity within a species is also important and often overlooked. An analysis of over 50 years of data on sockeye salmon returns to the rivers of Bristol Bay, Alaska, shows just how important this portfolio effect — so-called by analogy with risk-spreading in financial markets — can be. The sockeye salmon fishery is one of the most valuable in the United States, with more than 60% of it coming from this region. The fact that it is made up of several hundred discrete populations makes the observed population variability about half what would be expected in a single homogenous population, and numerical modelling predicts that a homogenous population would be subject to ten times more fisheries closures. In terms of fisheries management, this work suggests that reducing the homogenizing effects of hatcheries on genetic diversity, protecting weak stocks from over-harvesting in mixed stock fisheries, and maintaining intact habitat networks should be prioritized.

Date: 2010
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DOI: 10.1038/nature09060

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