Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

Pacific salmon are an important fisheries resource for Canada, with significant links to both regional and national economies, and social and cultural heritage of BC's coastal communities and First Nations. In recent decades the productivity of Pacific salmon has been declining, with several stocks all but disappearing. Although the underlying mechanisms are still unclear, there is a growing sense that such declines may be linked to large-scale changes in ocean conditions and the resultant variability in temperature, nutrients, the quantity and quality of zooplankton, forage fish and predator assemblages. Currently there are significant uncertainties in the prediction and forecast of annual adult salmon returns, which can lead to significant loss of business and negative socio-economic consequences for coastal communities. Our proposal to understand and model the large-scale variability in feeding, foodweb and resource ecology of juvenile salmon at the scale of coastal Pacific ecosystems of BC is critical to improving Canada's ability to forecast and predict the growth, survival and associated adult returns of Pacific salmon with greater confidence. Our three-year project will quantify and model coastal-scale variability in: 1) nitrogen and carbon dynamics, using zooplankton isotopic signatures; 2) foodweb dynamics and trophic interactions within and among juvenile salmon species; and 3) the links between patterns of juvenile salmon growth and food quality, feeding ecology, and foodweb structure. To achieve our research objectives, we have established a strong partnership with the Pacific Biological Station (DFO) and have assembled a strong interdisciplinary research team. This project will produce fundamentally important information on large-scale spatial variability in nutrient and energy sources, foodweb dynamics, trophic interactions and the growth of juvenile salmon, which will lead to better understanding and management of one of Canada's precious natural resources.