Évaluer l’impact des obstacles en rivière et du changement climatique sur la persistance et la production de la population sauvage de saumon atlantique dans les bassins versants boisés de la région boréale

River barriers such as culverts can hinder fish movement and disrupt ecological connectivity, reducing the availability of suitable habitat. In addition, changing fish populations decreases the resilience of populations to environmental disturbance and reduces genetic mixing. In Newfoundland, there are more than 17,000 potential barriers, which can fragment thousands of kilometers of fish habitat. The added stress of global warming in northern environments makes fish in these areas more vulnerable to habitat fragmentation and river impacts. This project aims to increase the understanding of the effect of the location of roads, river barriers and climate change on the persistence of the wild Atlantic salmon population and the availability of suitable habitat (productivity). Secondly, this knowledge will be used to develop a new assessment method and decision-making framework to enable conservation authorities to assess the vulnerability of populations and habitats and to guide the implementation of removal or recovery strategies. mitigation of obstacles in a real environment.

Contact: Dr. Michael van Zyll of Jong, 709-639-2702, michaelv@grenfell.mun.ca