1. Dr. John Volpe Biological Sciences University of Alberta jvolpe@ualberta.ca Testing assumptions associated with farm-escaped Atlantic salmon in British Columbia

2. Issues Visual pollution (ecotourism) Site contamination (organic & pharmacological) Anti predator methods Disease transfer to / from wild salmonids Ecological consequences of escapees

3. 2001 1984 Import of S. salar eggs for aquaculture 1905 1934 5.5 - 13.2 M eggs + alevins released in B.C. Interspecific agonism (ST) 1 0 resistance factor 1987 First capture of S. salar in B.C. waters 1991 First reported escape of S. salar 1997 First Atlantic salmon research on Pacific coast initiated Phase I research complete 1995 SAR initiated SAR released

4.  Escapes of Atlantic salmon are rare  Escapes of Atlantic salmon are inevitable but they won't survive in the wild  Some Atlantic salmon may survive but will not ascend freshwater rivers  Some adult Atlantic salmon are likely to be found in freshwater rivers but can't spawn  Spawning is likely to occur but progeny will not be competitively viable And finally, the current position,  There is no scientific evidence to show that the presence of feral juvenile Atlantic salmon in some rivers pose a threat to native populations. The Explanation Cascade

6. According to DFO’s ASWP 396,552 Atlantic salmon have been reported as escaped 1991-2001

7.  Escapes of Atlantic salmon are rare  Escapes of Atlantic salmon are inevitable but they won't survive in the wild  Some Atlantic salmon may survive but will not ascend freshwater rivers  Some adult Atlantic salmon are likely to be found in freshwater rivers but can't spawn  Spawning is likely to occur but progeny will not be competitively viable And finally, the current position,  There is no scientific evidence to show that the presence of feral juvenile Atlantic salmon in some rivers pose a threat to native populations. The Explanation Cascade

8. Atlantic salmon are commonly part of commercial salmon catches from Alaska to Washington No data are available regarding the source of these fish (physical or DNA tags) or period since escape and performance in the interim (otolith microstructure / stable isotope analyses)

10. Atlantic salmon have been reported in 77 BC streams and rivers Atlantic salmon are now part of the terrestrial food web via predation

12. Tsitika River August 18 1998

13. 58 m channel Heterogeneous habitat 30 females; 20 males transplanted without acclimatization

14. 1/3 females spawned Spawning initiated in mid January

15. Spawning Chronology Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Pink Sockeye Chinook Chum Coho Steelhead Little Qualicum Atlantic Salmon Wild Atlantic salmon in native range

16. Natural reproduction Two year classes present (0 + & 1 + ) ~50 juveniles identified to date Sympatric with strong steelhead population 0+0+ 1+1+

17. 0 + AS 0 + ST 1 + AS 1 + ST Mean Fork Length (mm) Mean CF (g x 100)/cm 3 n 63.75 ±3.3 55.42 ±5.81 119.25±5.52 92.59±10.46 2.94±0.60 1.91±0.54 19.61±4.01 8.67±2.75 1.12 1.16 1.12 1.10 4 33 8 33 Mean Weight (g)

18. Port Hardy Campbell R. Nanaimo Victoria Tofino Port Alberni Feral Atlantic Salmon populations in Vancouver Island Rivers Eve R. N 100 km Amor de Cosmos Cr.Tsitika R. <1% potential spawning and rearing habitat has been surveyed on Vancouver Island. Coastal mainland systems remain entirely uninvestigated.......?

20. Wetted area: 2.2m x 0.6m x 0.9 m Coarse river cobble (19.4  5.6cm) ~ 10% replacement per hour Flow 0.85 ms -s (4542.5 L min -1 ) 10 hp centrifugal pump Water temp maintained by a 240V, 60amp chiller Clear Lexan viewing windows Natural prey provided by a unique “upweller” feeding system

21. 4 AS 4 ST 4 AS High Forage  AA SASA assembly 4 AS 4 ST 4 AS Low Forage  SS  AS Treatments High / low forage Density Intra- / interspecies comp. Assembly of “community” Response Variables Growth Foraging Agonism (action + result) Territory size  comp. coefficient (Δ g) A = Atlantic salmon S = Native Steelhead

22. ST on average engage in agonism 5:1 over AS ST show agonistic bias towards other steelhead 2 : 1 AS show bias towards steelhead 2.2 : 1 Therefore, steelhead are agonism targets, Atlantic salmon are not

23. Of all treatment combinations the only consistent and significant predictor of performance is assembly order Residents with 3 days prior residency performed better than challengers under all conditions - regardless of all other parameters

26. Atlantic salmon Perform well relative to steelhead Perform poorly relative to steelhead + residency - residency 1905-1934: Very low likelihood of establishing prior residency in Vancouver Island rivers Today: Vancouver Island steelhead populations are at ~ 10 - 20% of historical abundance  Potential for successful colonization is likely much higher today than during historical intentional introductions

27. Are production fish capable of spawning? Sufficient spawner densities for natural reproduction? YES (3) YES Are juvenile Atlantic salmon competitively viable? YES YES (qualified) Are such conditions present in coastal B.C.? Presence of feral populations? Feral individuals perform as predicted? YES At present YES Historically NO Prognosis?

29. Pink salmon smolts June 2001

30. Sea lice are native however the density of farms may act as bio-magnifiers of parasites and disease such that the migratory habitat becomes saturated ie. pink smolt run

32. There is no scientific evidence to show that the presence of feral juvenile Atlantic salmon in some rivers pose a threat to native populations. There is no evidence that salmon aquaculture as currently practiced in BC will not result in serious harm to native salmon populations or their environment.

33. 1) all reasonable actions must be taken to protect the environment 2) inherent to this statement is the understanding of “reverse onus” - the burden of proof lies with industry to satisfactorily demonstrate their activity is not detrimental to the environment. The burden is not on the public to demonstrate the opposite