Mr. Chair, as far as the rate and pace of climate change goes and whether there was awareness that climate was changing through, say, large-scale global influencing factors over the past 30 years, I would answer yes. The rate and pace at which change is being observed in northern environments, in particular the Canadian Arctic, is perhaps far more accelerated than anticipated.
As for the resulting influence on fish and wildlife species, and in particular salmon, it's a complicated question and perhaps an even more complicated response. Our observation certainly over the last decade or more is that certain species of Pacific salmon are in fact finding that changes to environmental conditions, particularly in freshwater environments, are becoming more favourable. What we're seeing is the abundance of sockeye salmon increasing in southwest Yukon, as well as in central and northwestern Alaska.
On the contrary, other species of Pacific salmon seem to be faring much more poorly, for example, chinook and chum salmon.
The final point I will make with regard to influencing factors with respect to climate change and responses from Pacific salmon is that we are observing a far further eastern migration of Pacific salmon stocks through Arctic waters, to the extent that it's becoming relatively common to observe Pacific salmon showing up in the eastern Arctic and, I understand, even the northernmost reaches of the Atlantic.
If we were to predict over the coming years what might happen, new and different habitats will likely become available to Pacific salmon in the far north subarctic, and we do expect that some Pacific salmon distribution will likely change over the coming years and decades, Mr. Chair.