Linking Variations in Fraser River Sockeye Salmon Stocks to Pacific Ocean Productivity and Climate Variability Using Stable Isotopes

Description

Fraser River sockeye salmon are a significant ecological, cultural, and economic resource for Canada, and climate change poses a very real risk to their abundance. However, obtaining information on how the marine environment affects Pacific salmon is very difficult and it remains poorly understood. By analyzing stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon in fish tissues, this project will address this knowledge gap by gathering information about the diet of Fraser River sockeye salmon and the productivity of their food webs. This method will allow researchers to link ocean productivity, climate variability, and sockeye ecology so that more accurate predictions of the future impacts of climate change on Fraser River sockeye salmon can be made.

Program Name

Aquatic Climate Change Adaptation Services Program (ACCASP)

Ecoregion(s)

Pacific: Vancouver Island West Coast

Principal Investigator(s)

Daniel T. Selbie
Fisheries and Oceans Canada