Fish Tracking

Travelling from fresh to salt water is challenging for a young fish. The stress of adapting to a new environment is yet another threat to their survival. In the short time it takes an egg to grow into a smolt, we can learn a lot about where and how salmon are living. But what happens when they leave the river has long been a mystery – until now.

Acoustic telemetry is an evolving field that allows us to follow migrating Atlantic Salmon and trout as they embark on this perilous journey. Researchers carefully place small transmitters (aka tags) inside smolt before they begin their migration. The fish carry these tags with them as they move from their home rivers to the sea. As they travel, acoustic receivers placed in several locations along their route detect the high frequency ‘pings’ sent by these tags, recording the exact location and depth of tagged fish.

For the first time ever, scientists are tracking the movement of fish migrating from the West River into the Sheet Harbour estuary. We know that over the course of their short lives, West River smolt have lived in habitat that is recovering from the effects of acid rain. The ability to track their movements in and around the Sheet Harbour estuary and beyond can help us answer many questions. While there are many discoveries to be made about this migration, we have a few short and long-term goals.

• Gain insight into the behaviour of smolt leaving West River, Sheet Harbour on their way to the open ocean

• Develop an estimate of how many smolts survive in the estuary

• Gain an understanding of predators, and the strategies fish use to avoid capture

• Build a detailed bathymetric map of the estuary and harbour to better understand how smolt use this new habitat

This project would not be possible without the support of our partners at the Ocean Tracking Network and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Together we are expanding our knowledge of migrating Atlantic Salmon and trout, particularly those coming from acidic rivers and streams.