The interaction between spatially and temporally heterogenous selection: salmon as a model system

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Movement between different locations might either reduce the potential for individuals to adapt to local conditions or help maintain a population at a given location. This project will develop a set of models to investigate how the interaction between natural selection and movement that vary in both space and time determines the effect of movement on local populations. These models will be based on salmon that receive inputs from aquaculture (fish farming) and hatcheries (supplemental fish raised in captivity), as the many types of such programs provide a data-rich source of information about exchange between populations that experience different (natural and artificial) selection. While factors such as population size, the amount of movement, and variation in selection have been explored separately, how these factors interact to determine the effect of movement on local populations, the central question of this study, remains unknown. In addition to addressing this fundamental scientific question, results of this project will be relevant to pressing questions about the design of hatchery and aquaculture programs. Results will inform the design of hatchery and aquaculture programs that allow for conservation of salmon, an important and threatened natural resource. The project will also provide an educational benefit through graduate student training, which will have a broader societal benefit as federal agencies are struggling to find individuals with postgraduate training in quantitative marine resource management.