Estimation of post-smolt survival through the Gulf of St. Lawrence

Acoustic technologies have been employed since 2003 to track the movements of smolt from 4 rivers of the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Labrador Sea. Since 2007, an acoustic receiver line deployed across the Strait of Belle Isle (SOBI) has provided migration and distribution information of post-smolt and the data required to estimate survival rates during the migration of smolt to the head of tide and to their exit to Gulf of St. Lawrence. The estimation of survival rates of post-smolt through the Gulf of St. Lawrence requires a calibration of the detection probabilities of the SOBI line. The installation of a second line in close proximity to the original SOBI will resolve the confusion of the survival rates and probability of detection rates and allow the estimation of survival rates through the initial 4 to 6 weeks of migration through the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Contact: Jonathan Carr, jcarr@asf.ca, 506-529-1385