OUR ACTIVITIES
This project is based on research that shows Atlantic salmon have a better chance of survival when they are exposed to a wild environment at a young age, and the best chance if they are hatched in the wild.
Fundy Salmon Recovery is a revolutionary and award-winning partnership between academia, First Nations, government and private industry that is making significant strides in the recovery of inner Bay of Fundy wild Atlantic salmon, which has been listed as an endangered Species since 2003.
View the Fundy Salmon Recovery WebsiteThis project is based on research that shows Atlantic salmon have a better chance of survival when they are exposed to a wild environment at a young age, and the best chance if they are hatched in the wild.
Fundy Salmon Recovery is made up of six partners: Parks Canada, Cooke Aquaculture, the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association (ACFFA), the University of New Brunswick, the Province of New Brunswick, and Fort Folly First Nation. These organizations are united and inspired to work together for a common goal – to restore the historic wild Atlantic salmon populations of the inner Bay of Fundy for generations to come.
The Live Gene Bank, based out of Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Mactaquac Biodiversity Facility in French Village, New Brunswick, protects the unique families of the inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon population by collecting juveniles from the wild, growing them to maturity, and spawning them in captivity. The fry produced from these spawnings are released back in to the wild. Once the fry grow to be young salmon (smolts), Fort Folly Habitat Recovery, the University of New Brunswick and Parks Canada work to retrieve a portion of these smolts from Fundy National Park rivers and the Petitcodiac watershed, both in New Brunswick.
Fundy Salmon Recovery has established the World’s First Wild Salmon Conservation Marine Farm on Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick to achieve their desired outcome – a self-sustaining wild salmon run.
Young salmon smolts collected from the rivers are transported to the conservation farm to grow until maturity. While in the conservation farm, these salmon are cared for by staff from Cooke Aquaculture, the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association and the Province of New Brunswick. Fundy Salmon Recovery is the first project in the world to collect juvenile fish afterthey have spent the critical early life stages in the wild, then transport those fish to be cared for in an ocean environment at a dedicated marine farm site. The site is equipped with custom designed conservation aquaculture cages – the first of its kind in the world. The fish are fed specialized diets developed by biologists and aquaculture nutrition experts.
Once the salmon are mature, they are released back into Fundy National Park rivers and the Petitcodiac watershed where the survival of their offspring, from egg to young salmon, will continue the cycle. Back in the rivers, salmon are continuously monitored by University of New Brunswick scientists. Using advanced technology, scientists are able to detect the number of project salmon that enter and depart the project rivers. They also monitor wild returning salmon genetics, river nutrient levels and ecosystem health.
