SAlmonid MAnagement Round the CHannel

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Atlantic salmon and sea trout (salmonids) have declined by 70% since the 1970’s (Cefas 2014) and as a result have considerable environmental protection through the EU’s Habitats Directive and are cited in Special Areas of Conservation designations. They are indicators in Water and Marine Directive targets to measure GES. The increased abundance of juveniles and adults would benefit their predators e.g. GES indicators species sea bass, sea and river lamprey and eel also sea birds, otters, seals. Salmonids also have considerable economic importance, an independant study by Le Quesne and Selby in 2007 estimated the recreational value of the salmonids in Europe was €1.2 billion, but is declining. Both species depend upon TCWs at two critical life stages - juveniles and adults. Eggs are spawned in rivers in winter, after 1-3 years the juveniles migrate to sea as smolts and after 1-3 years feeding at sea adults return to their natal river to spawn. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and key stakeholders the Environment Agency and L´Agence française pour la biodiversité (AFB) have postulated that salmonid survival is reduced in TCW. ICES highlighted environmental issues, marine planning, and knowledge gaps (e.g. where do most salmonids die in estuaries or in the sea and where do sea trout feed at sea) among the priority issues for their conservation (ICES WGNAS 2015 & WKTRUTTA 2013). Generating novel information from the pilot operations (PO) would greatly improve the tools currently used by EA and AFB to calculate conservation limits (CL) and quotas (QU) and would define adaptive management plans to mitigate environmental changes. To develop new methods for protecting and increasing salmonid stocks, SAMARCH will produce 3 novel PO for the programme. WP T1 investigates the location, survival and movements of salmonids through TCWs to understand where they disappear. WP T2 uses DNA analysis to create a map of important TCW areas for sea trout, improving the policing and setting of salmonid netting limits. WP T3 provides novel information to improve CL and QU calculations. Change in regulation will be delivered through WP T4 leading to an estimated 6-9% increase in adult abundance throughout the FCE, which will be measured through the 5 fish counters and traps operated by partners and angler catches recorded by the EA and AFB in the whole FCE area. SAMARCH is perfectly suited to the FCE because it brings together esteemed partners with data, fish counting equipment, tagging skills, fish scales, stock assessment expertise and genetic skills on salmonids to improve their stock in the FCE and the EU. We require a 5 year project to collate robust results and new policies to integrate them into FCE salmonid management structures, in turn contributing to an increase in GES. Reference 13 letters of support from key stakeholders.

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