Jack T. H. Fenety Conservation Scholarship from the Miramichi Salmon Association

The Miramichi Salmon Association offers a major scholarship for salmon research in honour of its long-time former President, Jack Fenety.

The Jack T. H. Fenety Conservation Scholarship is awarded annually to a graduate student conducting meaningful research about Atlantic Salmon and/or its habitat, with relevance to the Miramichi watershed.

The MSA is pleased to announce Mr. David Roth, PhD Candidate at the University of New Brunswick, as the 2021 recipient.

David’s research investigates the Smolt-to-Adult Supplementation (SAS) strategy. David has compared adult Atlantic Salmon reared through the SAS strategy to wild anadromous adults and is currently examining techniques to improve SAS adult female quality in terms of reproductive success rate.

SAS is a conservation strategy to address Atlantic Salmon population decline. Adult Atlantic Salmon face high mortality rates at sea, and by protecting the marine migratory phase in monitored rearing facilities, the Atlantic Salmon population in the Miramichi could benefit from the implementation of this strategy.

David is committed to further improving the SAS strategy via his research. He believes that the strategy can help to prevent the further decline of the wild Atlantic Salmon populations in the Miramichi by supporting the number of adult spawners in the river.

David is particularly interested in identifying differences in elemental composition of SAS eggs and eggs produced by wild females. “A better understanding of any potential differences could lead to changes in the rearing environment of SAS fish to increase egg quality and survival rates of SAS progeny,” David said.

Ms. Laura Gilks, MSA’s Education Committee chair, would like to thank all the applicants. As a recruiter for graduate students at UNB, she recognizes the value of the Jack T.H. Fenety Scholarship to PhD Candidates like David. “David’s application clearly shows his passion for the Atlantic Salmon, and the Miramichi River,” shared Laura.

David’s work directly addresses the goals of this scholarship- research investigating the ecology of Atlantic Salmon, current-day issues, and building a better understanding of the relationship between Atlantic Salmon and the environment to enhance the abundance and sustainability of the Atlantic Salmon resource.

“I am very pleased to present this award to a student so committed to Atlantic Salmon and the Miramichi watershed”, said Robyn McCallum, President of the Miramichi Salmon Association. “Mr. Roth’s work speaks to the legacy left behind by Mr. Fenety, and to the goals of our organization.”

Financial support for this scholarship comes from member contributions and volunteer efforts from Canada and the United States. If you’re interested in supporting our scholarship fund, please contact the Miramichi Salmon Association at (506) 622-4000 or visit our website at miramichisalmon.ca