Prince George, B.C.- What effect will environmental changes such as climate warming have on salmon migration?

That is one of the questions new research underway by a UNBC team hopes to answer.

This month, UNBC biology professor Mark Shrimpto, ( principal investigator on the project) has been working  with his team at  Chilco Lake west  of Williams Lake,  catching juvenile salmon for the study.

The fry will be place in water tanks of varying temperature to measure how the fish are affected by different temperatures over time. The investigating team will compare the measurements to those found at other  sockeye producing lakes in BC, such as Adams and Cultus.

 “The salmon need to undergo a biological change to successfully survive in the salt water of the ocean. Our initial research indicates that when they leave the lake, they have already undergone this change. A key enzyme in their gills that we use as a marker of the fish’s increased ability to survive the higher salinity in seawater is already at levels characteristic of a sea water fish,” says Dr. Shrimpton. If the fish fail to undergo that change, they won’t survive in salt water.

It isn’t just climate warming that  can impact the water temperature  says Dr. Shrimpton “There are models that predict the removal of trees near riverbanks, the building of dams, and the installation of some power plants also increase water temperature and can potentially have a negative impact on successful migration.”

The research is being carried out in coordination with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.