Active Acoustic data in Lake Melville, Labrador

By modifying the seasonal runoff pattern of the Churchill River, in Labrador, the operation of the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric dam could impact estuarine rainbow smelt, trout and salmon downstream. This research project seeks to understand how the operation of the Muskrat Falls dam will modify fish ecology in the 3,000 km2 Lake Melville subarctic estuary. Answering this question is critical to fully understand the impacts of this large-scale hydroelectric project on coastal communities in the region. This dataset provides baseline information for science-based management of fisheries in Lake Melville, where five coastal communities rely heavily on food, social and ceremonial fisheries. It relies on active acoustic measurements to compare inter-annual and seasonal changes in fish abundance and distribution in Lake Melville in relation to variations in biotic (e.g. prey availability) and abiotic (e.g. temperature and salinity) factors to determine the main drivers of these changes.