Browsing by Author "Cyr, Lauren P."

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    Tales from the Scales: Investigating the impact of restoration on smolt age class distribution & growth rates in an iBoF Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) population
    (University of New Brunswick, 2022-04) Cyr, Lauren P.; Samways, Kurt M.
    The inner Bay of Fundy (iBoF) Atlantic salmon are a genetically distinct population of Atlantic salmon residing within the Bay of Fundy and northern Gulf of Maine, listed as endangered under the Species at Risk Act. Located in Fundy National Park (FNP), the Upper Salmon River is listed as critical habitat for iBoF salmon and has been the site of several restoration strategies: primarily, release of salmon though traditional (juvenile) and Fundy Salmon Recovery (FSR) models (natural spawning from adult releases). This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of adult releases to maintain a wild-like population, via interpretation of archived smolt scales. Aided by a novel scale-analysis script, I evaluated scales from 1240 individuals collected between 2002-2021 to assess age distributions and annual growth rates of smolt cohorts. I observed a shift towards smolt cohorts with more 2+ and 3+ smolts and increased growth rates, following implementation of FSR release strategies. The results of this study provide insight into the impact of this restoration strategy on annual smolt cohorts, which are a key aspect of maintaining a wild population.