Hammond River Smolt Assessment 2017.

Since 2013, sea-bound populations of juvenile Atlantic salmon have been monitored in the Hammond River.  The objectives of this project are to gain a reliable and comparable dataset of the number of smolt in the watershed each year, to detail the timing of their migration to sea, to provide estimates of survival between juvenile life stages in the watershed and to conduct educational outreach to foster the conservation of salmon in youth. Smolt population data is important for the monitoring and protection of the outer Bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon which are considered endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).  Juvenile Atlantic salmon population estimates will be made using a rotary screw trap, or smolt wheel, to collect smolt. If a sufficient number of smolts are collected, mark-recapture data will be applied to a Bayesian model to obtain an estimate of the smolt population.

Contact: Lee Robinson, 506-832-1230, lee.robinson@hraa.ca