Quantifying fish-turbine interactions using VEMCO’s new high residency acoustic electronic tagging technology-Phase 2

It remains unclear if fishes that occupy Canada’s leading tidal energy test site in Minas Passage, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, will be negatively affected by turbine installations. The objective of this project is to determine fishes’ interactions with operating turbines. Of approximately 70 species of fishes that interact with Minas Passage only three have abundance estimates (Gaspereau River Alewife; Shubenacadie River Striped Bass; Saint John River Atlantic Sturgeon) that are necessary to predict effects at the population level. Atlantic salmon are listed endangered by SARA so the loss of even one individual is significant. We will use new, innovative High Residency fish tracking technology from industry partner VEMCO to determine spatial and temporal overlap, and interactions of Alewife, Atlantic Salmon, Striped Bass and Atlantic Sturgeon, with operating turbines. This will provide information central to predicting negative effects of operating turbines, on fishes, at the population level.

Faculty Supervisor:

Michael Stokesbury;Brian Sanderson

Student:

Montana McLean

Partner:

Offshore Energy Research Association of Nova Scotia

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Program: