Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

This proposal describes a purchase of acoustic telemetry equipment to support significant research activities on migratory fish species in the Linnansaari research laboratory at the University of New Brunswick. Overall, 50 passive acoustic receivers and necessary deployment and maintenance parts will be acquired. Three different varieties of passive receivers are being purchased because of the range of freshwater to ocean conditions necessitating different features onboard the receivers; the receivers range from basic data storage functions to Bluetooth data transmission and automated “pop-off” release systems. Additionally, an active tracking receiver unit will be acquired to facilitate fine-scale movement and behaviour studies. The acoustic tracking equipment will be used to support six ongoing, two starting, and one planned telemetry projects wherein minimally 11 highly qualified personnel, including three members of First Nations, are trained as aquatic telemetry specialists. The supported projects study the migration ecology of three sea-run and one landlocked Atlantic salmon populations, two spatially distinct American eel populations, and a population of shortnose sturgeon, striped bass, and sea-run brook trout, in a timeframe between 2021-25. All but one of the studied migratory fish populations are already considered for listing with a conservation status by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, or are in severe decline; one of the studied fish populations is exponentially increasing, raising questions of interactive predatory effects on the other co-occurring fish populations. Depending on the studied fish population, the objective of the acoustic telemetry studies is to either i) better understand the causes for the continued decline (e.g., mortality rates, reasons and locations), ii) identify significant habitat areas for conservation or management action, iii) confirm the efficiency of current mitigation measures (e.g., efficiency of fish passage structures in hydropower context) or iv) understand the effect of population recovery of a fish predator on other migratory fish populations inhabiting the specific river system. All fish populations studied by using the proposed equipment are socio-economically important species that have historically attracted significant fishing tourism, and thus, economic spin-off in Atlantic Canada. Understanding the causes of the current declines or effectiveness of mitigation will help fisheries managers better protect these populations for future Canadian generations. In addition, all these species are of traditional and cultural importance and are significant for food and ceremonial purposes for local Mi'kmaq and Wolastoqey communities who are also active participants in the field research of this proposal.