Can hatcheries help to conserve Interior Fraser River Steelhead?

Since 2000, interior Fraser River steelhead (IFRS) have declined to historic low abundance. Due to this, COSEWIC in 2018 designated IFRS as endangered. Hatchery propagation can reduce interannual variability in egg-to-fry survival rates and increase the freshwater abundance of juveniles. There remains controversy over the effectiveness of hatchery operation as a conservation measure. Some studies show positive relationships between returning adults and juvenile abundance. Deterioration in the genetic integrity and fitness of wild salmon populations due to competition between wild and hatchery produced salmonids in the natural environment, inbreeding and potential decreases in fitness in hatchery populations may also occur. Population dynamics models will be applied to evaluate the potential long-term conservation outcomes of hatchery propagation and quantify the potential risks of hatchery production. The BC Wildlife federation will benefit from better informed decisions on conservation measures for IFRS that will be made with the use of information provided by this research.

Faculty Supervisor:

Murdoch McAllister

Student:

Partner:

BC Wildlife Federation

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Agriculture; Other services (except public administration)

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: