Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

Commercial and sport fisheries are key industries in the Great Lakes region of Canada. Over sixty-five million pounds of fish are harvested each year from the lakes, which contribute more than a billion dollars to local economies annually. However, the fisheries have been declining largely due to human activities. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) of Lake Ontario have been especially impacted. This species was once an important top predator of the native fish community but it was extirpated from the lake in 1896. Over the past two decades, efforts have gone into revitalizing the Great Lakes habitat and Canada is now poised to successfully reintroduce Atlantic salmon. The objective of this grant is to partner with government and industry to provide the first comprehensive scientific evaluation of three stocks of Atlantic salmon that have been approved for reintroduction. Using a quantitative genetics approach coupled with introductions into multiple stream environments we will provide a detailed analysis of fitness in the wild from egg to adult, the pinnacle of conservation and restoration research. Simultaneous, controlled semi-natural stream experiments involving competition trials with heterospecific fishes will be used to quantify behavioural, morphological and physiological aspects of aggression, stress, swim performance and growth. Microarray and qRT-PCR experiments will examine gene expression associated with performance. This research will: (1) identify the best reintroduction streams and the microhabitat features associated with high performance of Atlantic salmon; (2) determine whether non-indigenous salmonids will have to be managed within targeted streams; and (3) identify the best stock and families based on returning adults for reintroduction. The work will not only determine fitness in the wild but will also assess why some families are more fit, thereby allowing us to make recommendations about conservation programs that will direct policy on management and utilization of natural resources. The grant involves four researchers from universities in Ontario and Quebec, government and industrial partners, and will train four PhD students, a research technician, and six undergraduate students.