Ottawa – Two Carleton researchers have received more than half a million dollars to help sustain the salmon fisheries off the coast of British Columbia. Professors Steven Cooke and Bill Willmore, along with collaborators at the University of British Columbia and Memorial University in Newfoundland, have received $587,600 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Strategic Fisheries and Aquaculture Initiative to increase the sustainability of the Pacific salmon fisheries.

Fisheries regulations increasingly require certain species of salmon to be released after capture because of conservation concerns. “There is a real need for science-based information to help fisheries managers make decisions that ensure the long-term sustainability of the fisheries,” said Dr. Cooke, an assistant professor in the Institute of Environmental Science and Department of Biology at Carleton.

In order to conduct the research, Carleton will partner with government and other stakeholders including recreational anglers, commercial fishers and First Nations groups to apply transmitters to five species of Pacific salmon as they return to the Fraser River. The tracking devices will allow the researchers to measure post-release mortality rates for different types of fishing gear such as gill nets and rod and reel. The group will develop and test innovative approaches to help fish recover from the stress of capture and survey fishers to help understand barriers that may exist in implementing different conservation measures.

“This interdisciplinary project will enable our students to combine the latest approaches in telemetry and molecular physiology to address a pressing fisheries conservation issue,” said Dr. Willmore, associate professor of biology and chemistry.

After attending a project launch meeting in B.C. last week, Carleton graduate student Graham Raby said: “I’m thrilled to be involved in this collaborative project that will provide me with the opportunity to work with professors from across Canada, as well as scientists and managers from Fisheries and Oceans Canada.”

Steven Cooke is the project leader, while Dr. Willmore is a member of a team of four professors, five graduate students and two undergraduate students working on the project over the next three years. Field work will begin on the Fraser River this summer.