): Lower trophic level subsidies for juvenile Atlantic Salmon production: Can primary and secondary production be linked to juvenile salmon production?

Following the many years of data collection and accumulation on production of juvenile Atlantic salmon and secondary (e.g., benthic invertebrates) and primary (e.g., nutrients, algae, and biofilm) by many organizations, a post-doctoral researcher will amalgamate existing data, create a public database, and then examine the potential relationships between juvenile production and lower trophic level production with the goal to add this factor to modelling of juvenile production for fisheries managers.  The Miramichi River will act as the pilot study area, and then the results will be extrapolated and tested across the Canadian range of Atlantic salmon in collaboration with Parks Canada (an outcome of the herein proposed study).  By testing potential linkages between juvenile production and lower trophic level productivity across climatic and geologic gradients, we will examine how changes in the spatial and temporal elements of habitat affect the overall juvenile productivity.  The final products will be peer-reviewed publications on lower trophic level production and links to juvenile salmon production, a public database available as a featured content via CRI’s online portal (http://canadarivers-gis.maps.arcgis.com), and the foundation for the emerging research on productivity in salmon rivers within Parks Canada.

Project Contact:    Dr. Allen Curry     racurry@unb.ca