Atlantic Aquatic Resource Conservation (AARC)

Partners in the AARC project partnership cooperate to deliver a strategy for Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM), which will be demonstrated across the Atlantic Area, in targeted river basins, networked by regional/river observatories in each Member State. A central focus will be culturally and economically important migratory fish species which link water marine, coastal and freshwater resources, which are currently managed separately

The component of the AARC project being undertaken at Exeter aims to study the marine movements of sea trout (Salmo trutta) in southern Britain using molecular genetic (microsatellite) analysis of trout. Key aims of the work carried out by our group are to: 

• Construct a genetic baseline for brown trout populations from across southern Britain
• Undertake initial testing of the baseline by assigning rod-caught sea trout
• Assign marine caught sea trout to natal rivers

The full range of rivers from which resident trout have been characterised to date in the AARC project can be seen on the interactive map.