Research Document - 2011/006

New Estimates of Whole Weight, Percent Females and Fecundity for Use in the Determination of Conservation Status of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) in Assessed Rivers in the Bay St. George Area (SFA 13)

By G. Veinott and N. Cochrane

Abstract

Data available for estimating whole weight, percent females and fecundity in Atlantic Salmon stocks in rivers in the Bay St. George area of insular Newfoundland were reviewed. New estimates, which include data collected since the moratorium, of these stock’s biological characteristics were compared to values currently used to determine the status of these stocks. In general, the new estimates of whole weight and percent female were lower than the current default values. A new estimate of fecundity for small (<63 cm) salmon (1880 eggs/kg) was higher than the default value of 1540 eggs/kg. For the rivers that were assessed in 2008 the new values resulted in an increase in percent conservation achieved for Harry’s River and Middle Barachois Brook and declines for Flat Bay Brook, Fishels River, and Robinsons River. Overall there is a lack of river specific and year specific biological data and in particular fecundity data available for these rivers. Improvements in estimates of percent conservation achieved can only be made with additional sampling of these populations.

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