Skip to content

SAlmonid MAnagement Round the CHannel

SAMARCH

Samarch
Specific Objective Coastal and Transitional Water Ecosystems
Project Budget € 7,8M
ERDF Amount € 5,4M
Duration 04/2017 - 06/2023 (74 months)

Description

Project SAMARCH will provide vital research on the populations of salmonids (salmon and sea trout) in the Channel area to better inform the management of these populations.

With Atlantic salmon and sea trout populations declining by as much as 70% since the 1970s, SAMARCH aims to gather information on salmonid populations which will then be used to improve the management and protection of these populations. The research will focus on several key areas including tracking the movements of salmonid populations in estuaries and coastal waters to determine what proportion of fish die in these areas.

The information gathered from the 5 year project will then be used to improve the tools used by the regulatory bodies in England and France to manage their salmonids stocks and to push through changes in regulations on the management of salmonids in estuaries and coastal waters which, if implemented, could lead to a 6-9% increase in adult populations of salmonid in the Channel area. These changes in regulation will also have a direct impact on the water quality in estuaries and coastal waters.

The research is vitally important as Atlantic salmon and sea trout play a major role in coastal and river ecosystems, with juveniles providing a key source of food for other fish such as sea bass and lamprey, sea birds and otters. Salmonids also have a considerable economic importance through angling in Europe, estimated to be worth as much as €1.2 billion.

Lead Partner

en
Game and Wildlife and Conservation Trust
Hampshire , England

Project Partners

fr
Institut National Supérieur des Sciences Agronomiques, Agroalimentaires, Horticoles et du Paysage
Ille-et-Vilaine, France
fr
Institut National de Recherche Agronomique
Ille-et-Vilaine, France
en
University of Exeter
Devon, England
en
Bournemouth University
Bournemouth and Poole , England
en
Environment Agency
Hampshire, England
en
Salmon and Trout Conservation
Hampshire , England
fr
Agence française pour la biodiversité
Ille-et-Vilaine, France
fr
Bretagne Grands Migrateurs
Ille-et-Vilaine, France
fr
Normandie Grands Migrateurs
Calvados, France