Inventory of EU Marine Climate Change Research

SALSEA-MERGE - Advancing understanding of Atlantic Salmon at Sea: Merging Genetics and Ecology to resolve stock-specific Migration and Distribution patterns

Project website:
www.salmonatsea.com

Summary information
Funding:	FP7 - Collaborative Research Project - Small-Medium Scale Collaborative Project
Total cost:	5607000
Ec contribution:	3499000
Start date:	2008-03-01
End date:	2011-02-28
Duration:	36 months
Coordinator:	Merethe Flatseth (merethe.flatseth@imr.no)
Organisation:	Institute of Marine Research- Norway
Themes:	Biological impacts; socio-economic consequences
Regio:	North Atlantic
Keywords:	Salmon; growth; feeding; climate change; genetic identification; trawls; distribution; migration models; ecology; oceanography
Project name:	SALSEA-MERGE - Advancing understanding of Atlantic Salmon at Sea: Merging Genetics and Ecology to resolve stock-specific Migration and Distribution patterns
Project summary:	Abstract Over the past two decades, an increasing proportion of North Atlantic salmon are dying at sea during their oceanic feeding migration. The specific reasons for the decline in this important species are as yet unknown, however, climate change is likely to be an important factor. In some rivers in the southern part of the salmon’s range, wild salmon now face extinction. This is in spite of unprecedented management measures to halt this decline. Arguably the greatest challenge in salmon conservation is to gain insight into the spatial and ecological use of the marine environment by different regional and river stocks, which are known to show variation in marine growth, condition, and survival. Salmon populations may migrate to different marine zones, whose environmental conditions may vary. To date it has been impossible to sample and identify the origin of sufficient numbers of wild salmon at sea to enable this vital question to be addressed. SALSEA-Merge will provide the basis for advancing our understanding of oceanic-scale, ecological and ecosystem processes. Such knowledge is fundamental to the future sustainable management of this key marine species. Through a partnership of 9 European nations the programme will deliver innovation in the areas of: genetic stock identification techniques, new genetic marker development, fine scale estimates of growth on a weekly and monthly basis, the use of novel high seas pelagic trawling technology and individual stock linked estimates of food and feeding patterns. In addition, the use of the three-dimensional Regional Ocean Modelling System, merging hydrography, oceanographic, genetic and ecological data, will deliver novel stock specific migration and distribution models. This widely supported project, provides the basis for a comprehensive investigation into the problems facing salmon at sea. It will also act as an important model for understanding the factors affecting survival of many other important marine species. Objectives SALSEA-Merge will deliver innovation in the areas of: genetic stock identification techniques; new genetic marker development; fine scale estimates of growth on a weekly and monthly basis; the use of novel high seas pelagic trawling technology; individual stock-linked estimates of food and feeding patterns; and novel stock specific migration and distribution models. By merging genetic and ecological investigations, to advance understanding of stock specific migration and distribution patterns and overall ecology of the marine life of Atlantic salmon and gain an insight into the factors resulting in recent increases in marine mortality. The information gained will be essential for the identification of areas critical to the species life cycle and needed for the designation of marine protected areas, the regulation of large pelagic fisheries to avoid mortality from by-catches, the regulation of fisheries for key prey species such as sandeel, herring and blue whiting, the targeted regulation of inshore commercial salmon fisheries, and to maximise natural sustainable freshwater production. Recent evidence shows strong regional and local structuring of Atlantic salmon stocks in Europe and North America which indicates that it will be possible to develop a stock identification methodology for Atlantic salmon, as has been done successfully for Pacific salmonids (Beacham et al., 2006). With recent developments in molecular marker identification and screening technology, it is now possible to develop accurate diagnostic and cost effective methods for identifying the origin or proportional contributions of individual stocks from congregations of salmon, sampled at sea.