Effects of striped bass predation on Atlantic salmon smolts in the Miramichi River, NB.

Atlantic Salmon numbers are on the decline in the Miramichi River, NB. While many factors are hypothesized as causes for the declining numbers, the recovery of the striped bass population in the river, concurrent with the decline of Atlantic salmon population, is cited as a major threat to the Atlantic Salmon population through potential predator-prey interactions. Previous studies have examined potential for such interactions, however, have been hampered by lack of resources that are required to thoroughly assess a potential impact in a manner that is representative in both time and space. Through collaboration, this project will build a smolt-threat based model that will estimate consumption of salmon smolts as a function of striped bass population numbers and size distribution (data from DFO collaboration), space (estuary / riverine spawning-grounds), time (relative to peak smolt migration; data from MSA and ASF), and environmental parameters such as water temperature, flows, and tides.
Contact: Dr. Tommi Linnansaari, 506-458-7569, tommi.linnansaari@unb.ca or Dr. Allen Curry, 506-452-6208, racurry@unb.ca