Salmonid science on the move: Twenty years of research through the lens of early career researchers

Marine life stages in salmonids remain understudied relative to fresh and coastal waters, with NoWPaS abstracts from 2005–2025 showing a persistent mismatch between studied habitats and life stages.

• Why it matters: This matters because incomplete coverage of marine phases and life-history habitats limits understanding and management of salmonids under global change, leaving key knowledge gaps.
• What they did: The study extracted structured qualitative and quantitative information from all NoWPaS abstracts published between 2005 and 2025, tracking trends in taxa, regions, disciplines, and methods.
• The result: Over time, research shifted from hydro-geomorphological and habitat-based approaches toward genetic/genomic methods and advanced telemetry, and identified increased drivers including Climate change and Aquaculture.