08-29-2012, 04:10 PM
Although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will have a reduced role with the Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program in the Connecticut River after 2013, it is continuing to work on restoration efforts of the salmon in Lake Champlain.
Restoration efforts on the lake over the past 30-plus years, which include stocking and sea lamprey control, have been successful at creating a thriving lake fishery for landlocked salmon; however, they have been largely unsuccessful at creating river runs and self-sustaining populations.
The Lake Champlain Fisheries Technical Committee is supporting several studies to increase river run returns to lake tributaries. These studies include examining fish culture practices, time and location of stocking, wild vs. domestic broodstocks and the effect of amino acids on smolt imprinting.
Amino acids, in addition to pheromones, are hypothesized to be salmon olfactory imprinting odorants. It hypothesizes that juvenile Atlantic salmon imprint to amino acids during the parr-smolt transition (PST), and adults display behavioral preference for home-stream amino acid profiles.
The Berkshire National Fish Hatchery, in Hartsville-New Marlborough, is involved in the experimental setup assisting Marcus Welker, a Dartmouth College Ph.D. candidate. Artificial home stream water was created by stripping existing amino acids from hatchery waters and then adding Winooski River (a Champlain tributary) amino acid profile. Then the juvenile Atlantic salmon underwent PST, and were exposed to artificial Winooski River waters under different timing and duration treatments.
The experimental fish are now being reared to sexual maturity at the Berkshire Hatchery, and their homing behavior will be tested as adults when released into Lake Champlain. A subsample of hatchery reared adults will be radio-tagged and released into the lake. USFW will help record tagged adult movements from the lake to the Winooski River fish elevator and the Boquet River fish-way. In the meantime, "Y-maze" experiments will compare wild-reared river returns collected at Grand Isle, Vt., for preference of natal stream waters.
If successful, the implications of these experiments are significant. Perhaps someday salmon and other fish may be conditioned to return to rivers which haven't had spawning runs in centuries. If so, our Berkshire National Fish Hatchery will have played an important role.
Incidentally, USFWS Hatchery Manager Henry Bouchard commended resident USFWS Biological Technician Jeff Mosher for an excellent job in completing modifications at the hatchery, thus enabling the above experiments to take place. His experience, vision for potential needs and flexibility in the design will serve the needs of the hatchery for years. He received a nice award for his contributions.
Restoration efforts on the lake over the past 30-plus years, which include stocking and sea lamprey control, have been successful at creating a thriving lake fishery for landlocked salmon; however, they have been largely unsuccessful at creating river runs and self-sustaining populations.
The Lake Champlain Fisheries Technical Committee is supporting several studies to increase river run returns to lake tributaries. These studies include examining fish culture practices, time and location of stocking, wild vs. domestic broodstocks and the effect of amino acids on smolt imprinting.
Amino acids, in addition to pheromones, are hypothesized to be salmon olfactory imprinting odorants. It hypothesizes that juvenile Atlantic salmon imprint to amino acids during the parr-smolt transition (PST), and adults display behavioral preference for home-stream amino acid profiles.
The Berkshire National Fish Hatchery, in Hartsville-New Marlborough, is involved in the experimental setup assisting Marcus Welker, a Dartmouth College Ph.D. candidate. Artificial home stream water was created by stripping existing amino acids from hatchery waters and then adding Winooski River (a Champlain tributary) amino acid profile. Then the juvenile Atlantic salmon underwent PST, and were exposed to artificial Winooski River waters under different timing and duration treatments.
The experimental fish are now being reared to sexual maturity at the Berkshire Hatchery, and their homing behavior will be tested as adults when released into Lake Champlain. A subsample of hatchery reared adults will be radio-tagged and released into the lake. USFW will help record tagged adult movements from the lake to the Winooski River fish elevator and the Boquet River fish-way. In the meantime, "Y-maze" experiments will compare wild-reared river returns collected at Grand Isle, Vt., for preference of natal stream waters.
If successful, the implications of these experiments are significant. Perhaps someday salmon and other fish may be conditioned to return to rivers which haven't had spawning runs in centuries. If so, our Berkshire National Fish Hatchery will have played an important role.
Incidentally, USFWS Hatchery Manager Henry Bouchard commended resident USFWS Biological Technician Jeff Mosher for an excellent job in completing modifications at the hatchery, thus enabling the above experiments to take place. His experience, vision for potential needs and flexibility in the design will serve the needs of the hatchery for years. He received a nice award for his contributions.