Scholarships

May, 2006

JACK T.H. FENETY CONSERVATION SCHOLARSHIP

AWARDED TO MR. JAEWOO KIM OF

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY , MONTREAL, QUEBEC

The Miramichi Salmon Association (MSA) offers a major scholarship for salmon research in honour of its long time former President, Jack Fenety of Fredericton. The “Jack T.H. Fenety Conservation Scholarship” is made available each year to a selected graduate student attending a university who is conducting meaningful research about wild Atlantic salmon and/or its habitat which will have relevance for the Miramichi watershed. This is the fourth year this scholarship has been offered, and we are pleased to announce that Mr. Jaewoo Kim of Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec is the recipient of this $10,000 award for the 2006 season.

Mr. Kim's work is examining the effects of territoriality and predation. Territoriality can limit population size and regulate animal populations including salmonids. Predation can also limit population size and influence how individuals defend territories. The short term effects of anti-predator behaviour have been extensively studied in both laboratory and field conditions. However, the long term consequences of individual eliciting anti-predator behaviour have rarely been examined. Mr. Kim will investigate the effects of population density and predation risk by experimentally increasing the density of YOY (0+ age class) Atlantic salmon and the level of predation risk in field setting. Understanding how population density and predation risk regulate wild populations of juvenile Atlantic salmon will be important in conservation and management efforts, particularly for the juvenile salmon stocks in Miramichi River. The findings of this study can be incorporated into management strategies in optimizing populations of juvenile Atlantic salmon in Miramichi River as well as other populations. Furthermore, understanding the chronic effects of predation risk will complement the series of predation models by quantifying the cost and the benefit associated with anti-predator behaviour.

“We are pleased to present this award to such a deserving student in the person of Jaewoo Kim”, said MSA President Mark Hambrook. “The Jack T. H. Fenety Scholarship is something we are very proud of. It was established to honour Mr. Fenety’s legendary contribution to the protection and enhancement of Atlantic salmon stocks. His stewardship of the Miramichi River has paralleled the survival of that watershed as one of the most productive sources of salmon stocks in the world. It is only fitting that we offer this scholarship to Mr. Kim for this very important work.”

Mr. Christopher Blanar received the Jack T.H. Fenety Scholarship in 2004 and 2005. His work involved the examination of the combined effects of contaminants and parasites on the Atlantic salmon’s health and performance. In order to ensure that Miramichi Atlantic salmon returns meet conservation targets, it is crucial to examine potential sources of mortality in this stock in order to direct appropriate remedial action and conservation measures. It is not known whether the parasite infections in Miramichi Atlantic salmon decrease their ability to survive the drastic changes in temperature, current velocity, salinity and water quality that they experience during the seaward migration. Mr. Blanar examined the effects of a gill parasite and heavy metal toxicity, alone and in combination, on Atlantic salmon smolt performance and survival. He then conduct field work to verify that patterns observed in the laboratory were also present in the natural system.

First recipient of Jack T.H. Fenety Scholarship given to UNB gradaute student Ms. Cindy Breau in 2003.

Jack T.H Fenety Conservation Scholarship

The Miramichi Salmon Association (MSA) is a conservation group focused on the preservation and enhancement of wild Atlantic salmon throughout its spawning range, and especially in North America’s most abundant Atlantic salmon river, the Miramichi. The MSA, established in 1953, has as its mission statement: management actions to optimize the population of juvenile salmon stocks in the Miramichi River. It is directly involved in collaborative research and management initiatives to benefit the Miramichi River and its Atlantic salmon resources. Financial support for the MSA comes from the volunteer efforts and contributions of its members and sponsors both in Canada and the United States.
The Miramichi Salmon Association has established the “Jack T.H. Fenety Conservation Scholarship” to support research related to Atlantic salmon in the Miramichi River. Scholarships are made available annually to a graduate student conducting research associated with the ecology of Atlantic salmon that would be relevant to the Miramichi River. Research projects should address current issues of the day, which will lead to a better understanding of the relationships between Atlantic salmon and its environment in order to minimize the impacts of human activities and to enhance the abundance and sustainability of the Atlantic salmon resource.
The Miramichi Salmon Association maintains a fully operational salmonid culture and research facility with accomodations at the Miramichi Salmon Conservation Centre, with flow-through and recirculation systems in support of research activities. The Centre is located on the banks of the Northwest Miramichi River at South Esk, New Brunswick and applicants that plan to utilize this facility will be given priority.

Eligibility for Funding
The scholarship is to a student conducting graduate level research at a Canadian or American university.

Funding Level
One scholarship per year valued at $10,000 will be awarded. The funds will be disbursed directly to the student and may be used for the purchase of equipment and materials, for travel expenses during fieldwork, and as a living allowance. The funds may not be used to defer administrative fees or other costs with the university, government or private collaborators. Multi-year proposals will be considered, however, funding is on an annual basis and the second year’s money would have to be applied for according to the regular funding schedule. The consequences to multi-year research must be identified if only one year of funding is provided.

Subject Areas
Areas of research must involve the Atlantic salmon and provide knowledge that will assist the Miramichi Salmon Association in delivering its mission of management actions to optimize the population of juvenile salmon stocks in the Miramichi River. Relevant research topics include, but are not limited to, aspects on carrying capacity of habitat, inter-stage survival rates, constraints on production, effects of competition, predation at various life stages, the consequences of stocking juvenile salmon and ways to improve stocking strategies. The research can extend into the estuary as it relates to the survival of smolts or adults, but is not intended for marine research. The work does not necessarily have to be conducted on the Miramichi, but must be relevant to the Miramichi and the objectives of the MSA and priority will be given to work carried out at the Miramichi Salmon Conservation Centre..

Collaborations
The Miramichi Salmon Association hopes that some of the research may be conducted in association with the Miramichi Salmon Conservation Centre at South Esk, New Brunswick. Applicants are also encouraged to seek collaborations with provincial and federal governments, private industry and conservation groups.

Reporting Requirements
A brief interim report describing progress to date is required in July of the funding year, before the second payment is released to the researcher. A final report summarizing research conducted, results and conclusions from the research must be submitted to the Miramichi Salmon Association within the 12-month period of funding. A holdback of 10% of the scholarship will be provided upon receipt of the final report. A financial report is also required describing how the funds were used in the conduct of the research.

The Miramichi Salmon Association anticipates that much of the research sponsored under this scholarship fund will be published as university theses, refereed journals and in other publications. The MSA requires that its financial support to the research be acknowledged in such publications and that copies of the publications be provided to the MSA office.

Application procedure Proposals are to be completed in the format described in Appendix 1 and submitted to the Miramichi Salmon Association office at the following address:

Jack T.H. Fenety Research Scholarship
Miramichi Salmon Association
485, Rte 420
South Esk, NB
E1V 4L9
Telephone: 506-622-4000
Fax: 506-622-6111
Email submissions should be sent to:msamark@xplornet.com

Proposal Evaluation
Proposals will be evaluated by the Miramichi Salmon Association using the following criteria.

Research priority: Does the proposal address a research topic consistent with the mission statement of the MSA? Will the applicant use the facilities at the Miramichi Salmon Conservation Centre (tanks, apartment, artificial stream channel)?
Research quality: Are the proposed methods adequate to meet the objectives of the project in an efficient and cost-effective manner? Are the planned expenditures reasonable?
Funding: Are there other funding sources committed to the project?

Annual Schedule for the Scholarship Management

Date	Event
December 15	Deadline for receipt of project proposals
January 30	MSA Committee evaluates and ranks proposals
February 15	MSA Board of Directors approve research proposal to be supported
February 20	Notification of successful applicant
February 28	Notification of unsuccessful applicant(s)
April 15	First payment (50%) provided to graduate student
July 15	Second payment (40%) provided to graduate student
January 15	Final report provided to MSA
February 15	Final payment (10%) provided to graduate student

For more information

For more information on the Jack T.H. Fenety Research Scholarship or on the Miramichi Salmon Association, you can call the South Esk office at 506 622 4000.

Appendix 1

Format for Proposals

The following outline should be followed when preparing proposals requesting support for research from the Miramichi Salmon Association. Proposals should be presented in a concise manner. All technical terms should be explained. Failure to provide the required details described below may disqualify the application.

Title:	A concise, one-sentence description of the project
Student name:	Name, university affiliation, and contact information including mailing address, telephone, fax and email address
Supervisor name	Name, title, university affiliation, and contact information including mailing address, telephone, fax and email address
Summary	One paragraph non-technical summary of the proposed research including issue, proposed methods and anticipated benefit to achieving the MSA mission.
Background:	One paragraph describing the knowledge gap to be addressed by the research as it relates to the MSA mission.
Objectives (of the research):	One paragraph detailing the specific objectives of the research. The objectives should be clear and concise.
Study area:	Describe the location where the research will be conducted.
Project design: (max. 1 page)	Describe the sampling methods, experimental design, and analysis methods. Identify risks of achieving the research objectives. This section will be used to evaluate research quality.
Anticipated outputs:	One paragraph describing the expected products including final and financial reports to MSA, expected university theses, publications, etc.Identify how the research data will be secured for the future.
Literature cited:	Maximum of one-half page
Collaborations:	Name and describe the collaborators in the research
Budget:	Provided a detailed budget of the direct cash and in kind contributions of: affiliated university and research supervisor collaborators identified above. Indicate whether contributions are secured or requested. Indicate what facilities might be required at the Miramichi Salmon Conservation Centre .
Resumes	Provide a one-page c.v. for each of the graduate student(s) requesting the financial support. Provide a max. two-page c.v. of the research supervisor summarizing the supervisor’s research ability and past performance in supervising graduate level research