Combined use of Watershed and Morphodynamic Modelling to aid in the Conservation of Wild Atlantic Salmon

With constant news about population decline and a perceived lack of action from governments, people feel discouraged about the future of wild salmon. There is a need for a new, bold plan for wild Atlantic salmon conservation in the freshwater environment that will start working today, and 100 years from now. Plans are underway to identify watersheds that are important to the survival of this fish but climate change threatens their habitat. A new, innovative approach is being explored that will model how changing weather patterns will affect freshwater streams that are crucial for the development of young salmon. The results from these computer simulations will go towards strategic planning of conservation methods to ensure the Atlantic salmon has a place to grow and spawn for generations to come.

Faculty Supervisor:

Lakshman Galagedara;Joseph A. Daraio

Student:

Partner:

Atlantic Salmon Federation

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Agriculture; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Memorial University of Newfoundland

Program: