A Review of Habitat Connectivity Research for Pacific Salmon in Marine, Estuary, and Freshwater Environments

Long-term conservation planning for diadromous fishes would benefit from a better understanding of both the role of connectivity among environments and habitat variability in the expression of life-history diversity. Most of the scientific knowledge on habitat fragmentation and connectivity has been developed in terrestrial systems in the discipline of landscape ecology. Research on habitat connectivity in aquatic systems (e.g., salmonid research that spans the spectrum of habitats from freshwater to the sea) is uncommon and largely focused on barriers to fish passage. Here, we present a review of the literature characterizing current research patterns on habitat connectivity within and among environments for Pacific salmon. We found this topic is still incipient: the literature is dominated by studies of freshwaters, with few articles focusing on habitat needs in estuary and marine systems. Pan-environment studies are rare, pointing to a gap in our understanding of complex habitat relationships that might be significant in the development of long-term conservation and restoration plans for Pacific salmon, particularly in light of the potential impact of climate change.