Habitat variables contributing to age-0 Atlantic salmon survival in the West and White Rivers, Vermont

Age-0 Atlantic salmon are stocked annually in several West River and White River, Vermont tributaries as part of a cooperative interagency program to restore Atlantic salmon to the Connecticut River basin. Survival rates of age-0 salmon vary among tributaries and years, but in general, survival has been higher in the West River system than in the White River system (McMenemy 1994). The relatively low survival of White River salmon is surprising as the White River is described as having better water quality than the West River (McMenemy 1994) and because the original Strategic Restoration Plan predicted higher salmon production in the White River than the West River (Stolte 1982). Grant no. NA36FI0350