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

Abstract

Salmonids are among the most studied fish species worldwide, owing to their wide geographic distribution, diversity of life-history strategies, ecological and socioeconomic importance, and vulnerability to global change. In this review, we take advantage of two decades of the International Workshop of PhDs and Post-doctoral Fellows on Anadromous Salmonids (NoWPaS) conference series to track the evolution of salmonid science through the lens of early-career researchers (ECRs). From all abstracts presented at NoWPaS meetings between 2005 and 2025, we extracted structured qualitative and quantitative information to characterize major trends and shifts in the field. Our results show a strong research bias toward Atlantic salmon and brown trout, concentrated in Europe and Atlantic Canada, and a persistent mismatch between the life stages and habitats studied. In particular, the marine phase remains understudied in comparison to fresh and coastal waters. Over the study period, salmonid research shifted markedly from hydro-geomorphological and habitat-based approaches toward genetic and genomic methods, alongside the rise of advanced telemetry methods for reconstructing individual life histories. Research orientation, measured as a gradient from fundamental to applied research, was on average intermediate but varied among countries and disciplines, with the UK and Norway showing shifts to more applied research, as well as the discipline of Ecology becoming more applied. Additionally, we identified a significant increase in Climate change and Aquaculture as research drivers, with some drivers well-represented in some species (e.g., Hydropower and dams for landlocked Atlantic salmon and Climate change for Arctic char). These trends should be interpreted in context of the composition of the NoWPaS network: participation is primarily ECRs in the Northern Hemisphere, with research from Asia, South America, and western North America largely absent from this synthesis. Despite this lens, our analysis identifies clear knowledge gaps, particularly around marine life stages and species other than Atlantic salmon and brown trout, and highlights opportunities for broadening taxonomic, geographic, and life-history coverage in future salmonid research. We also present a roadmap, identifying combinations of life stages, disciplines and taxa which have been under-represented and constitute potential knowledge gaps, while also flagging those combinations that have already been well studied. Overall, we advocate for a continued shift toward integrative and holistic approaches, bridging distinct research disciplines, to better understand, manage, and conserve salmonids under increasingly uncertain future environmental conditions.