what works: a workshop on wild atlantic salmon recovery programs

What Works: A Workshop on Wild Atlantic Salmon Recovery Programs

Jonathan Carr

IBIS/AST Salmon Stocking ConferenceNovember 27/28, 2013

Marriott Hotel, Glasgow City G3 8RR

Boosting salmon numbers – is stocking the answer or the problem

ASF Workshop GoalsASF Workshop Goals• To examine Atlantic salmon recovery programs in

Eastern North America, with examples of successes, failures and best practices

• To produce a report of findings to assist with assessing local restoration needs and implementing relevant and effective restoration programs

Workshop Program

• Keynotes (ecology, genetics, population dynamics)• Regional Perspectives: QC, NL, NB, NS, ME, NGO• Gene Banking & Life Stage Stocking Strategies• History/Case Studies: Success & Failures• Habitat Recovery Initiatives• Dams and Fish Passage• Water Quality Considerations• North American Restoration Plan• Discussion & Wrap UpPresentations can be found at www.asf.ca/2013recoveryworkshop.html

Declining & Endangered Salmon Declining & Endangered Salmon

Overview of Threats

Freshwater Environment•Global warming (floods, temperatures)

•Dams, culverts,

•Exotic species

•Aquaculture

•Agriculture, forestry, mining, aquaculture

•Poaching

•Acid rain

•predation

Marine Environment•Global warming (ecological changes, predator/prey shifts, temperatures)

•Aquaculture

•Bycatch

•Predation

Relatively Stable &

Threatened/Endangered

What is a Salmon Recovery Program?What is a Salmon Recovery Program?

• Habitat restoration & protection• Harvest regulation & addressing other sources of mortality

Hatcheries & Captive Breeding

Ian Fleming presentation, ASF workshop Sept 2013. Visit www.asf.ca

Hatcheries & Supplementation• 1773 – start in Germany

• belief humans should control reproduction & increase the numbers of salmon

• Hatchery model born of the industrial revolution – “techno” fix

• Interchangeable parts (in contrast with what we now know as the uniqueness of populations)

• Nearly a century of this vision (1860s -1960s)

• Salmon were moved within and outside their native range

US Fish Commission proclaimed: artificial propagation would make salmon so abundant there would be no need to regulate harvest or

protect habitat


Holes in Hatchery Model appear

• Returns not there

• Becomes controversial – can it help?

• Recognize that a production model is not compatible with a conservation model

• Changing shape of restoration and questions about the role of traditional hatcheries

• Captive breeding – but where are we in our understanding?


Hatcheries & Supplementationto be considered successful …

• Bypass high, natural mortality

• Survive, breed & produce offspring that contributecontribute to natural production in the wild


Wild Fish

• “On Your Own”

• Increased Selective Pressures

• High Mortality in Early Life Stages

• Increased Natural Adaptations

Hatchery Fish

• “Constant Care”• Decreased

Selective Pressures

• Low Mortality in Early Life Stages

• Decreased Natural Adaptations

K. Samways & D. MacDonald presentation, ASF workshop. Visit www.asf.ca

Paradigm Shift

• To Convert Production Facilities to Conservation Facilities the traditional fish culturists need to switch from a goal of maximizing productivity to a goal of maximizing biodiversity.

• The end result would become the production of ecological viable fish better suited for natural releases and survival in the wild.


Shane O’Neil presentation, ASF workshop Sept 2013. Visit www.asf.ca

or adults

Habitat complexity – Early life

• Shaping of the phenotype• Morphology• Behaviour

• Neural development• Fitness consequences Captive - simple

Nature – complex(gravel)


Incubation Environment Shapes Phenotypic Traits• Gravel-incubated fish: heavier & higher condition (wt,

length, condition factor).• Gravel-incubated fish: enhanced feeding & more risk

adverse (fed novel prey and introduced predators: avoidance, sought shelter, reemergence).

• No difference in brain volume.• Gravel incubated fish had higher survival and faster

growth in semi-natural streams.


Series of Experiments

(1)Reproductive success of wild-exposed (FW juvenile phase) versus fully captive-reared adults.

(2) Transgenerational effects - offspring fitness of wild-exposed versus fully captive reared adults

Fitness returns from wild exposure?


Fitness Summary

• Captive rearing environments can be altered to promote phenotypic traits that may be more favourable in nature.


• Reproductive success (p < 0.001)• Wild Exposed (76.1% ♀ & 76.9% ♂) > Captive

Reared (23.9 % ♀ & 23.1% ♂).

P = .036

Offspring Survival (1st summer)

Wild exposure can improve short (within generation) and long term (transgenerational) fitness in captively bred populations


Morphology, physiology, behaviour, life history…

Who’s from the hatchery?


Body/Fin Condition Summary• Semi-natural ponds produce fish more similar in

shape and fin quality to their natural counterparts.

• Substrate produces better fin qualities even at high densities.

• Increased habitat and flow complexity is beneficial in producing fish with a more wild-like shape.

• Fish reared in semi-natural ponds may be better suited for life in the wild than their conventionally reared counterparts for a number of reasons including their overall shape and fin-condition (better at foraging, recognition of complex habitat structures, predator avoidance, etc…)


Enhancement Opportunities:Strategies in Healthy Salmon Populations• Look after natural environment and let the

fish to the rest

If choose to stock: define objectives

• River specific origin

• Collect wild broodstock; return to river after spawning; release offspring as unfed fry and 1st feeding fry

• Stock in non utilized areas or sites where wild juvenile densities are low

• Don’t overstock

Conclusions & Implications

• Incubation environment has impact on phenotype

• Affects subsequent survival and growth (fitness)

• Captive rearing environments can be altered to promote phenotypic traits that may be more favourable in nature

Conclusions: Captive BreedingConclusions: Captive Breeding

• Even though there is ecological & genetic risk, its potential value is large.

• We’ve made significant strides in our understanding of rearing strategies, but there’s still room for improvement.

• Temporary tool.

• Captive breeding alone will not be sufficient to restore populations.

• Need to identify the limiting factors and act.

Some Recommendations From ASF Some Recommendations From ASF Salmon Recovery WorkshopSalmon Recovery Workshop

• Focus on individual pop’ns based on specific threats.• Stocking not 1st resort. Goals must be understood.• Identify cause of declines & prioritize natural reproduction.• Address key issues in river (habitat, passage, water

quality) before/in conjunction with stocking.• Think holistically: multi species/ ecosystem approach.• Critical need to determine marine survival issues. • Monitoring/evaluation of program is critical.• Mimic nature as much as possible.• Political will: not all actions are needed in rivers but in

boardrooms with politicians and policy makers

Acknowledgements

All presenters at the St . Andrews NB Salmon Recovery Workshop

You can find the presentations at: www.asf.ca/2013recoveryworkshop/html

• Goal was to estimate survival and achieve widespread emergence of near 10%.

Egg Planting Results

Site (KM) Eggs planted Total Fry % Emerg.Barker 5825 2764 47.45Valley B 3.52 5731 258 4.5Sandy 87.14 4471 94 2.1Orbeton 11.59 4977 2163 43.46Orbeton 12.77 7659 269 3.51Cottle B. 5.00 3484 1603 46.01Avon Valley 4.67 4773 41 0.86Sandy 67.35 6180 1088 17.61Temple S. 14.00 5667 2398 42.32Sandy 82.60 3149 97 3.08Sandy 87.14 2802 34 1.21Sandy 73.73 3000 608 20.27Sandy 65.06 2578 604 23.43Cottle 0.07 3249 25 0.77Perham 2.08 3013 542 17.99Perham 3.22 2875 134 4.66Orbeton 13.73 3294 756 22.95Orbeton 7.95 4243 371 8.74South Branch 0.51 2532 992 39.18Avon Valley 2610 395 15.13Mt. Blue 2537 1798 70.87Temple 2778 815 29.34

avg. 21.16

Paul Christman presentation, ASF workshop Sept 2013. Visit www.asf.ca

what works: a workshop on wild atlantic salmon recovery programs

Documents

natural production

production model

rrboosting salmon numbers

wildian fleming presentation

local restoration

problemasf workshop

macdonald presentation

production facilities