Canada contributes $800,000 in-kind to collaborative Atlantic salmon research

Canada will provide an in-kind contribution of $800,000 this year to the Salmon At Sea science program that is managed by the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization.

"I'm proud that Canada is making such a significant contribution to international scientific research in this area," said Fisheries and Oceans Minister Loyola Hearn in making the Feb. 20 announcement.

"We need to help identify the factors that cause Atlantic salmon to die when they migrate through ocean waters so we can put the necessary measures in place to reduce at-sea mortality of future stocks," he said.

Canada's contribution to the Salmon At Sea program constitutes 23 days of ship time for scientists to collect data on Atlantic salmon at-sea mortality. Costs for ship time total approximately $500,000. Another $300,000 will be spent for the associated personnel, equipment and logistics. Data collected by scientists will be analyzed and tabulated within a research survey.

The information will be used to improve understanding of the lifecycle of Atlantic salmon while it is at sea. Canada has important interests in better understanding salmon behaviour so we can better focus our activities in the future.

The lifecycle of Atlantic salmon involves major migrations between spawning rivers and oceanic feeding grounds. Many North Atlantic salmon originating from the rivers of Canada, the United States and countries across Europe, for example, migrate to feed in waters off West Greenland before returning to spawn in their rivers of origin.

Partners in the Atlantic salmon at-sea mortality research survey include scientists and officials from three regional offices of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Province of Quebec, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, and the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization. The Atlantic Salmon Federation in Canada is also engaged in a number of ongoing efforts in this area.