Salmon Steward

Genome analysis will assess health and condition of sh, as well as study the links between marine survival and growth, physiology and disease. 4 summer 2014 psf.ca T he Salish Sea is massive, spanning about 17,000 square kilometres, from Washington's Puget Sound to B.C.'s Strait of Georgia. So when the Pacifi c Salmon Foundation looked for a place to initiate the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project, it was a challenge. The choice — the Cowichan River — may seem odd, but it actually made perfect scientifi c sense. "Cowichan is a model site to initiate the fi eld study," says Dr. Brian Riddell, president and CEO of the Pacifi c Salmon Foundation. "It has a natural river, a community hatchery, signifi cant estuary and a relatively confi ned bay; there is a large history of work that has been carried out in the area on juvenile Chinook and Coho salmon; and we have strong local support, including from First Nations." The salmon produced in the Cowichan River contribute to fi sheries within the Salish Sea, and First Nation catches within the river. Chinook salmon have the best evaluation program within the river. But since the mid-2000s they have declined in numbers, with recent years showing the amount of spawning salmon at only one-third to one-half of management objective. Returns of Coho salmon have been stronger recently, but fi shing rates in the Salish Sea have been deliberately reduced for several years in order to protect another stock, the Interior Fraser River Coho salmon that are also caught in these fi sheries. TAKING THE LEAD How to best structure and coordinate the work was the next task, with the latter being key, given the Foundation's role as the catalyst for involving groups in the larger Salish Sea initiative. The challenge was given to Dr. Isobel Pearsall. The First Step The Salish Sea Marine Survival Project kicks off with an innovative new salmon study in Cowichan River "We have developed a comprehensive project to examine juvenile Chinook habitat usage, growth and survival in the river, estuary and the near-shore environment," explains Dr. Pearsall. "Key goals are to identify the most signifi cant factors a ecting the marine survival of juvenile Cowichan salmon, which aligns with the primary objective of the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project." The studies will focus on many areas, including how salmon migrate through their various habitats, what is preying on them and even how wild salmon interact with those released from hatcheries. Given

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