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Hatcheries and stocking programs serve a variety of objectives, including the conservation of salmon populations. Much attention has been given to the importance of genetic integrity and adaptive capacity of salmon stocks, particularly as they interact with hatchery‐origin fish. Literature on hatchery and stocking programs has increasingly focused on genetic indicators of quality and success, with genetically 'wild' salmon valued over hatchery‐influenced salmon. However, conservation in the Anthropocene is challenging paradigms of wildness and definitions of conservation success. For salmon populations that exist on the ragged edge of climate change where threats are unlikely to be remediated to the status of ecologies past, definitions of 'wild' and the role of conservation hatcheries and stocking becomes convoluted. If definitions of 'wild' or 'natural' salmon depend on salmon archetypes situated in historic ecologies, then what do salmon futures look like? In that context, we argue to expand from primarily genetic criteria for conservation stocking to additional criteria cognizant of hybrid ecosystems and future human‐salmon relationships. We draw on the concept of adaptive epistemologies within the context of conservation‐oriented hatchery and stocking programs to critically reflect on knowledge paradigms and values that underlie salmon conservation stocking efforts and the changing ecosystems in which they are situated. We critique 'wild' discourses rooted in western thought and make suggestions toward a reimagining of salmon conservation‐via‐hatchery in the Anthropocene that allows for expansive human‐salmon futures. Critically, we conclude with warnings against using the arguments in this paper as social permission to use hatcheries as a conservation panacea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This commentary explores the emergence and potential of PubCasts—abridged and annotated audiobook-style recordings of scholarly work. PubCasts aim to make scholarly work more accessible, engaging, and easily understood by broad audiences. We highlight our motivation for creating PubCasts and discuss our experiences in making and sharing them. We further reflect on the potential of PubCasts to combat misinformation by offering a more intimate and humanized form of science communication. To assist others in adopting PubCasting, we explain the process of creating PubCasts, including required components and hosting options, and conclude with encouragement to other science communicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a mixed set of ethnographic methods including interviews and a structured survey, we evaluate local perceptions about the sustainability of salmon fisheries among fishers of the Cook Inlet region of Alaska. A majority of residents report participating in these fisheries, but we find significant disagreement about their sustainability. Household income and the types of fishing practiced both influence people's responses, and many implicated specific user groups for overharvesting and/or for receiving unfair catch allocations. Drawing on the theoretical areas of information theory and political ecology, we argue that these findings reveal a complex interplay among the practical, social, and political aspects of how local resource users, or “local experts,” develop and communicate their assessments of ecological conditions in a context of conflict. We conclude with notes on future research as it relates to the successful design of local-management and co-management solutions, especially in settings where resources are contested by stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper we explore the relationship between food security and access to locally caught seafood for communities of the Kenai Peninsula region of Alaska. Seafood and fisheries are infrequently discussed in the literature on local and small-scale food movements; instead, they are more commonly construed as overexploited components of a global food system and a source of conflict with respect to global food security and fisheries conservation. By way of contrast, we argue here that many fisheries have the potential to be sources of healthy and sustainable "local" food, in support of the many values and goals embraced by local food movement, including conservation. With data collected via a by-mail survey, we show that many people in our Alaskan study region enjoy improved food security because they have access to locally caught seafood, especially those households at the lowest income levels. We also show, however, that access to these resources is still uneven for some, and we discuss strategies for improving the socialjustice aspects of this component of the regional food system. Our findings are important not just to the fisheries and food security research communities, but also for contributing to a better understanding of the conditions within which local and regional food movements can achieve the ambitious social and ecological goals they seek. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the issue of food security and its association with the commercial fishing industry in Alaska. An overview is given on the condition of fishing and fishing-related industries and its contribution to the economy of the state. It also discusses the importance of noncommercial fishing activities to rural and urban communities across the state. It explains how the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) has widely created a sustainable image of the state's fisheries through its "Wild, Natural, Sustainable" campaign. The proposed construction of salmon foodsheds in the state is also described.