Restoring biodiversity and a valuable fishery: Atlantic salmon reintroduction into Lake Ontario

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Atlantic salmon were once abundant in Lake Ontario and supported one of its most valuable fisheries, but these**fish were extirpated from the lake a century ago. The successful reintroduction of Atlantic salmon into Lake**Ontario has become a top priority for management agencies and conservation groups, as it has been estimated**that it could provide up to $15 million in new revenue over 10 years to local economies through fisheries, and**would be a substantial step towards the recovery of lost biodiversity. A self-sustaining population of Atlantic**salmon would also provide ecosystem services through their role as a top predator, increasing the resiliency of**food webs and fisheries. In 2010, we partnered with multiple organizations on an NSERC Strategic Partnership**Grant that identified high in-stream mortality as a major hurdle to successful Atlantic salmon rehabilitation in**Lake Ontario. We will now build on this past research by using an integrated approach to detail the causes of**in-stream mortality and provide best approaches for mitigation. These analyses will include environmental**DNA and next-generation, real-time monitoring of movement, performance, survival, and causes of mortality**of Atlantic salmon. Food web analyses using stable isotopes and gut content DNA will examine the**consequences of competition and predation on Atlantic salmon. Finally, transcriptional profiling following**immune and exercise challenges will detail the mechanisms underlying differences in survival across strains**and rearing treatments. The project will thus provide a comprehensive scientific evaluation of the factors**affecting reintroduction outcome in a species of considerable ecological and economic value, and will**contribute to the development of best practices for hatchery rearing, release timing, and strain and site selection**to support the restoration of Atlantic salmon in Lake Ontario and throughout Canada.********