Fragmentation of juvenile salmon habitat caused by road and forest culverts.

According to a study of 123 culverts on Cascapédia, Matapédia, Patapédia and Ste-Marguerite Rivers, 36% only are classified as surmountable when the Coffman filter (2005) developed for juvenile salmons is used. Although this filter is the best tool which is presently available, it was not designed for salmon. The result is enough of a concern to warrant the development of such a filter for juvenile salmon. In the framework of this project, we will use passive transponder technology to complete a marking-recapture study for many culverts of variable features. Such a study will determine the variables and their threshold which limit juvenile migration. This filter can be applied for all culverts on salmon rivers to determine if they are surmountable. A GIS analysis will enable us to calculate habitat losses related to each culvert which is classified as unsurmountable.

Contact: Normand Bergeron, 418-654-3703, normand.bergeron@ete.inrs.ca