Restoration and Management of the Atlantic salmon in France: efforts / results Vauclin Vincent (Conseil Supérieur de la Pêche) Marly, France With thanks to: Jean-Luc, Baglinière (INRA-Agrocampus EQHC) Rennes, France Jacques Dumas (INRA, UMR ECOBIOP) St-Pée/Nivelle, France And thanks also to the persons who forwarded / accepted the principle of this short presentation at this NASCO meeting … salmon in France ? 904 900 Mean annual catches by country 800 (declared, 1992-2001 mean ) 700 651 600 500 411 N°13 tonnes 400 300 200 100 13 0 FR SP GB DK ISL IRL SW CEI Finl. USA CAN Norv. R ISL Féroé SCOT N. IRL N. GRLD St. PM St. 551 000 km2 Elements of Temperate atlantic geography climate 60 million inhabitants 120 inhab./km2 People live in cities, mostly on the rivers Human activities concentrate on the valleys and lowlands Southern limit… Main mountains and rivers Middle of XVIIIth A shrinking distribution area End of XIXth End of XXth The salmon rivers in France in 2005 E R R Self-sustainable Populations R E Vulnerable Populations (low abundance level) Endangered populations = E R restoration in progress = R R Aulne, Vire, Orne, Loire, Couesnon, Allier, Vienne, Dordogne, Garonne, gave de Pau, Rhin Restoration programs for salmon in France / 1 Mainly re-introduction : from zero ! Salmon Plan (1976-1980) – Ministry of Environnment Migratory fishes plan (from 1981, 5 years) 1984: decentralisation – Regional level, financements by several partners (CPER) 1992: Contrat Retour aux Sources (cooperation CSP – Min. Environment) Various solutions and initiatives since then…Programmes are going on Restoration programs for salmon in France /2 Programs include : -monitoring (video adults-electro-fishing juveniles, countin of redds…. - fish-passes - stocking - communication… Programs are carried on by : - associations created by anglers associations - partially designed/directed by the Conseil Supérieur de la Pêche - constrained by the availability of financements (social perception of the utility of these measures) R. Couesnon R. Rhine (Alsace) (Lower-Normandy) R. Aulne (Brittany) R. Dordogne (Aquitaine) R. Nivelle (Basque Country) Some salmon rivers with past and present restoration programmes in France Salmon restoration: the Upper Rhine 1. Salmon extinct in 1957. La Lauter Le Rhin 2. Migration routes are La Sauer La Moder obstructed Iffezheim Gambsheim 3. Restoration programme Strasbourg since 1990 Mutzig Molsheim Avolsheim La Bruche Strasbourg Bras d’Altorf (1) Plobsheim (2) Kraft Gerstheim Le Giessen Rhinau La Fecht Marckolsheim Vogelgrün Breisach Lauch Fessenheim La Thur Ottmarsheim La Doller d’Alsace Grand Canal Canal Grand Kembs Accessibility of the Rhine and Kembs its tributaries in Alsace End of planting in Continuous use of 1999 planting self-sustainable Improvement of fish stock passage required Continuous use of planting Improvement of passage needed Continuous use of planting Planting ended in 1990 self-sustainable stock Current state of salmon restoration programmes Requirements for the restoration (1) 1. Number and height of dams : a cumulative impact. General improvement of migration conditions is required (dams removal, flow management) Need for radio-tracking programmes 2. Some unsolved cases due to a low attractivity of devices, e.g. Poutès dam (R. Allier: fish-lift) Need for a better knowledge of the upstream migration behaviour and a better efficiency of fish passes 3. Great need for improving downstream migration (juveniles and kelts): prevent fish from being drawn into the turbines Requirements for the restoration of salmon populations (2) Access to suitable spawning zones in the upstream reaches of rivers Higher quality of habitat high juvenile production (density and growth) Zones that should be kept for natural spawning only Estimation of suitable habitat area for juveniles Requirements for the restoration of salmon populations (3) Need to use hatchery fish supposes structures for large juvenile production and to tag fish to assess success, e.g. Fluorescent pigments: juveniles, R. Dordogne Coded-wire tags: largely used for juvenile, requires double tagging (fin clipping) Pit-tags: very effective and reliable but expensive and possible loss of the tag during spawning But…tagging has largely disappeared from France Requirements for the restoration of salmon populations (4) Results of stocking depend on the strain used (very bad results with canadian strains after first restockings in the R. Dordogne) - Better results with acclimated or strains geographically close to the restored stock (Dordogne) or local strain (Nivelle) - Poorer results for strains supposed to give large fish: Allier strain for R. Dordogne has given mainly grilses Impact of hatchery fish in salmonid populations Interbreeding and genetic dilution Decrease of genetic variability and adaptability Increased straying: homing rate 2-5 times lower in the grisles (R.Couesnon) Lower survival rates Impaired spawning behaviour / wild fish Disease tranmission: Gyrodactylus salaris generates few multi-sea winter salmon Impact of hatchery fish in salmonid populations : an important issue Fears and interrogations at an international level (Cf. NASCO and ICES) coming from the numerous studies on interactions between hatchery and wild fish CCL 1: the contribution of hatchery-reared fish to restore wild populations is not sufficiently evaluated CCL 2: a need for a wide cooperation on reintroduction of salmon – share the results and analyse the "failures" ? "Break the isolation" A word on French monitored rivers /1 Rivière index : Bresle (0,280 M eggs) 2,50 2,00 1,50 1,00 eggs/target 0,50 0,00 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 A word on French monitored rivers /2 Rivière index : Oir (0,120 M eggs) 10,00 8,00 6,00 4,00 eggs/target 2,00 0,00 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 A word on French monitored rivers /3 Rivière index : Scorff (0,95 M eggs) 2 1,5 1 eggs/target 0,5 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 A word on French monitored rivers /4 Rivière index : Nivelle (1,424 M eggs) 1,00 0,80 0,60 0,40 eggs/target 0,20 0,00 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 Management of the "natural"populations -2 basins with exploitation : Brittany and Adour-Gaves - Loire-Allier : closed since 1994 - Rod and line and gears in estuary (onli in the R. Adour) : 50% each - Management at a regional level : 8 management Committees deciding the level of catches and repartition between fisheries - Brittany managed by TACs, on a river by river basis - Adour –Gaves basin should evoluate toward that also What about the future ? "When the fish die, men are threatened" .