Canada names first research chair in aquatic restoration, to study salmon population

The federal government is announcing the country’s first research chair in aquatic restoration, which will focus on growing the Atlantic salmon population.

Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said today the research chair will be located at the University of New Brunswick and held by prof. Kurt Samways.

Samways holds a doctorate in biology from the university and has conducted decades of fish-related studies.

Wilkinson says the federal government is also adding another $431,000 to Parks Canada’s five-year Atlantic salmon recovery project, which is connected to the research chair.

Samways will work with teams in five national parks in Atlantic Canada – Fundy, Cape Breton Highlands, Gros Morne, Terra Nova and Kouchibouguac — to assess how ecosystems function before and after salmon recovery action.

The recovery project had been announced in 2019 with an initial $3.7 million in funding.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2020.