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RESTORATION OF ATLANTIC SALMON AND THEIR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES TO LAKE CHAMPLAIN BY RESTORING THEIR RIVER IMPRINTING
Impact/Purpose:
The research goal is to improve the understanding of salmon imprinting, homing and hatchery practices to promote environmentally, socially and economically beneficial salmon restoration. This research project will test two hypotheses: (1) amino acid profiles (concentrations and compositions) are different in the lake, rivers and hatcheries across key locations and times; and (2) juvenile Atlantic salmon imprint to the amino acid profile they experience during their parr-smolt transition (PST) and show preference as adults to that specific profile.
Description:
It is expected that each river and hatchery will have a distinct amino acid profile. Also, it is predicted that amino acid concentrations will be highest in the hatcheries, lowest in the lake and at intermediate levels in the rivers. If the hatcheries have a different amino acid profile than the rivers, juvenile Atlantic salmon undergoing the PST in the hatchery may be inappropriately imprinting to the hatchery waters instead of to the release-river. Fish reared in captivity and imprinted to the amino acid cocktail during the PST are predicted to show a preference for the amino acid cocktail as adults. Additionally, it is anticipated that fish exposed for just 2 weeks to the amino acid cocktail will respond similarly to those exposed for 10 weeks. These results will inform Lake Champlain aquatic ecosystem managers regarding if and how they can modify hatchery rearing waters and the timing of river outplanting to correctly imprint Atlantic salmon.
Potential to Further Environmental/Human Health Protection
Restoring river-runs of Atlantic salmon would provide all four classes of ecosystem services to the watershed (supporting, provisioning, regulating and cultural), simultaneously strengthening the environmental, social and economic pillars of sustainability.