Council CNL(16)63 Atlantic Salmon Federation s Salmon Tracking Programs Investigating Low Marine Survival (Presentation by Dave Meerburg)
Atlantic Salmon Federation s Salmon Tracking Programs Investigating Low Marine Survival David Meerburg June, 2016 NASCO 1
Collaborations Countless volunteers Adopt a Smolt and Kelt Donors Field and Office Staff 2
Overview of Low Marine Survival Presentation Smolt tracking Kelt tracking Predator-Prey Studies Striped Bass Next Steps 3
Tracking Smolt Tracking (sonic tags): Started in 2003 Miramichi, 2004 Restigouche and 2006 Cascapedia > 2500 smolt tagged Kelt Tracking (sonic tags): Started in 2008 Miramichi and 2013 Restigouche > 350 kelt tagged Kelt Satellite Tags (PSATs) Started in 2012 Miramichi 43 tagged 4
RECEIVER ARRAYS SoBI Head Restigouche HoT of Tide Outer Outer Bay Cascapédia Gulf of St. Lawrence Cabot Strait Miramichi 5
% Survival Smolt Survival Estimates HoT to SoBI Southwest Miramichi Northwest Miramichi Restigouche Cascapédia HoT Outer Bay SoBI 6
Smolt Tracking What Have We Learned? Survival rates in the freshwater are high (80-95%). Survival rates through the bay: Chaleur Bay: 68-76%. Miramichi NW survival only 29% last 3 years. Miramichi SW survival only 38% last 3 years. Survival through the Gulf of St. Lawrence variable. Smolt travel through Gulf in 30-40 days. Primary exit route through Gulf is SOBI. Gulf rivers smolt travel past SOBI over 2 week period. 7
Pop Up Tags Finer scale location & movements of kelts. Where are the mortalities occurring? Identify the predators! Temperature Depth Sunset & sunrise 8
2012-2015 Satellite Tag Ending Locations 3 Returned to river as consecutive spawners. 20 in Gulf of St. Lawrence. Six potential predations. 14 in Northwest Atlantic. Two potential predations. Five tags popped at prescribed dates 5 in estuary & Bay. One potential predation. 2012 Transmitted 2012 Unknown 2013 Transmitted 2013 Unknown 2014 Transmitted 2014 Unknown 2015 Transmitted 2015 Unknown
PSATs 43 kelts have been tagged in the Miramichi river since 2012. Movement of 10 of these fish have been analyzed (7 past SOBI). Of these seven, 4 followed the Labrador coast toward Baffin Island while 3 moved off the continental shelf and had deep dives (600-800 m). Dive profiles were diurnal, suggestive of feeding behavior. 10
136027 Count of Days 11
PSAT 128017: Martha Count of Days 12
PSAT 128017: Martha 13
Kelt Tracking What Have We Learned? Survival rates through estuary/bay >90%. High mortality in Gulf of St. Lawrence (>50%). Ocean survival higher for Rest (27%) vs Mir (10%). Kelts and smolt cross SOBI over the same time period in early July (even though distances travelled and tagging time vary greatly) Kelts travel through Gulf in 50-60 days. Kelts spend about 30-40 days reconditioning within the Gulf. Kelts exit Gulf via SoBI & return via Cabot Strait. 14 Kelts migrate within and off the continental shelf.
Abundance % Striped Bass and Smolt Interactions Miramichi Estuary and Bay 90 N o r t hwe s t M i ra m i c h i 100 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Northwest Southwest S o u t hwe s t M i ra m i c h i 1200000 S m o l t M i g ra t i o n 1000000 Ro u te 800000 600000 S t r i p e d B a s s 400000 S p a w n i n g H a b i tat 200000 Striped Bass 0 Year 15 15
Miramichi Smolt Survival 2015 Estimates Northwest Miramichi Southwest Miramichi 16
May 27 May 30 June 2 June 5 June 8 May 27 May 30 June 2 June 5 June 8 Distance Distance Striped Bass and Smolt Interactions Acoustic receivers provide us with moderate resolution detection data for both smolt and striped bass throughout the Miramichi. Bass Movement Smolt Movement 17
May 27 May 30 June 2 June 5 June 8 May 27 May 30 June 2 June 5 June 8 Distance Distance Striped Bass and Smolt Interactions Acoustic receivers provide us with moderate resolution detection data for both smolt and striped bass throughout the Miramichi. Bass Movement Smolt Movement 18
Striped Bass and Smolt Interactions This smolt, tagged in the Southwest, is one of several fish that models quantitatively select as a predation event. 2015 Predation Events NW smolt: 10% SW smolt: 2% 19
Tracking Program: Next Steps Need a better estimate of survival through Gulf Focus on areas of high mortality. Smolts: Estuaries & Bays (predator-prey) Smolts & Kelts: Gulf, Labrador Sea, Davis Strait Focus on critical habitat/migrations zones. Continue to map kelt and smolt routes Identify traffic in those areas predator, prey, environmental parameters
How to we get there (Tagging)? Tag more salmon & track for greater distances. Tag more smolt (account for inter-stage mortality) More PSAT tags on kelt (Restigouche, Miramichi) Track maiden fish from Greenland back to home rivers (PSATs and Sonic)** -gain knowledge on routes & timing, survival (relevant to ICES models), predators
How to we get there (Tracking)? 22 Expand receiver coverage More units in Gulf Labrador Sea Deployment Strategies Drifters Bioprobes AUVs (Wave gliders) Platforms of Opportunity Improve telemetry technology
QUESTIONS?
2016 Tagging Plans Smolts (V8) 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Restigouche 81 80 99 105 80 80 80 80 Miramichi 80 80 80 80 105 130 160 240 Cascapedia 54 40 45 64 39 40 40 40 Matapedia 60 Total 215 200 224 249 224 250 280 420 Kelts (V16) 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Restigouche (sonic) 25 17 25 25 Miramichi (sonic) 50 50 50 35 16 21 13 25 Miramichi (Pop-up Tags) 10 11 11 11 0 Restigouche (Pop-up Tags) 0 0 0 0 10 24
2015 Smolt Survival Estimates 2015 Cascapédia Northwest Miramichi Restigouche Southwest Miramichi 25
Depth (m) Temperature (ºC) 10 0-10 Depth (m) and Temperature (ºC) for Tag 117458 (X-Tag) 80 75 70-20 -30-40 -50-60 -70-80 Depth data. Higher temperature suggesting that this salmon was preyed upon 65 Showing constant depth for four 60 days. Pop-off 55 mechanism 50 activated. Archived Depth Real Time Depth Archived Temperature Real Time Temperature 45 40 35-90 30-100 -110-120 -130-140 Temperature data. 25 20 15 10 5 Porbeagle Shark -150 0 4-12-12 4-26-12 5-10-12 5-24-12 6-7-12 Date 6-21-12 7-5-12 7-19-12 8-2-12
Labrador Strait of Belle Isle Arrays New array deployed in 2015 Sentinel Tags 21.25km 3.85km 19km Newfoundland
Collaborations: LOW MARINE SURVIVAL PROJECT STATUS PARTNERS GoSL Smolt Tracking ongoing several Kelt Tracking ongoing several Greenland Pre-adult-Adult Salmon Tracking planning Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, several others Tag Retention Study ongoing several Striped Bass-Smolt ongoing several Cormorant-Smolt complete 2016 several Climate Change: scale analysis planning ASF, NOAA, DFO, GMRI Drifters in GoSL planning ASF, DFO Souris and Area Branch of the PEI Wildlife Federation, OTN, Abegweit First Nation, Canadian Rivers Institute, PEI Smolt Tracking new 2016 River Dee Smolt Tracking new 2016 River Dee Trust, AST Scale Aging ongoing ICES and many international partners Wild fish health monitoring planning TBD
June May April July 2012 Kelts 2013 Kelts 2014 Kelts
Depth (m) Temperature (ºC) 10 0-10 Depth (m) and Temperature (ºC) for Tag 117458 (X-Tag) 80 75 70-20 -30-40 -50-60 -70-80 Depth data. Higher temperature suggesting that this salmon was preyed upon 65 Showing constant depth for four 60 days. Pop-off 55 mechanism 50 activated. Archived Depth Real Time Depth Archived Temperature Real Time Temperature 45 40 35-90 30-100 -110-120 -130-140 Temperature data. 25 20 15 10 5 Porbeagle Shark -150 0 4-12-12 4-26-12 5-10-12 5-24-12 6-7-12 Date 6-21-12 7-5-12 7-19-12 8-2-12
148255 Count of Days 33
May 27 May 30 June 2 June 5 June 8 May 27 May 30 June 2 June 5 June 8 Distance Distance Striped Bass and Smolt Interactions Acoustic receivers provide us with moderate resolution detection data for both smolt and striped bass throughout the Miramichi. Bass Movement Smolt Movement 34
PSAT 128017: Martha 35