Using acoustic telemetry to study Endangered Atlantic Whitefish (Coregonus huntsmani) ecology in native and novel habitats.

Atlantic Whitefish persist in one watershed on Earth, the Petite Rivière near Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, and the species is genetically, culturally, and ecologically unique. Despite being one of the first species protected under Canada's Species at Risk Act (SARA) when it came into force in 2003, they remain Endangered. The most prominent threats to their persistence are habitat deterioration due to anthropogenic impacts such as migration barriers and invasive species increasing competition and predation of Atlantic Whitefish.

However, the species is so rare and poorly understood that fundamental questions about the ecology of Atlantic Whitefish are still limiting the effective implementation of the SARA recovery program. A subset of 80 captive-bred whitefish reared in the Dalhousie University Aquatron facility was tagged with acoustic transmitters (Thelma Biotel 2MP9 and Innovasea V9-TP) and released into Millipsigate Lake, the Petite Riviere, or the estuary of the river (i.e. below the migration barriers) in spring 2024.

Data analysis will focus on changes between range size and depth use of whitefish in the lake and potential migratory movements of fish released in the estuary. Results will help to identify critical habitats, determine whether the species maintains anadromous instincts, and identify migration barriers. Results will also be used to investigate post-release success and make comparisons between several release strategy elements (i.e. location, season, native/novel system).

This study will provide the information needed to identify critical habitats and support the effective implementation of a recovery plan to resist the wild extinction of this Nova Scotia endemic species.