Identifying critical thermal refugia and response timing to high water temperature events for adult Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

The project will focus on identifying 1) critical response thresholds to high temperature stress and 2) critical thermal refugia, and their characteristics of adult Atlantic salmon in Little Southwest Miramichi River.

The project will radiotag and track adult salmon in summer months, and relate movements to the development of the warm thermal conditions. Tags to be used have a temperature sensor, and will transmit the temperature where the fish are residing; temperatures will be contrasted to ambient temperature in the river in the vicinity of the fish to make inference of timing of behavioural thermoregulation (i.e. are tagged fish choosing locations cooler than ambient temperature).

When behavioural thermoregulation is observed, we will describe the physical characteristic of the habitats they are seeking for. The project will produce explicit information for fisheries management regarding times and locations that are relevant in the context of fisheries closures due to high water temperature.
Contact: Dr. Tommi Linnansaari, 506-458-7569, tommi.linnansaari@unb.ca