Diadromous Species Restoration Research Network (DSRRN): A five year collaborative effort to catalyze science, resource management, and outreach

Background/Question/Methods
Diadromous fish, such as Atlantic salmon, alewives and lamprey, present unique management and conservation challenges as they move between local (lakes and rivers) and regional/international waters (the ocean) during their lives. In the summer of 2008, the Diadromous Species Restoration Research Network (DSRRN) will kick off a five year, NSF-funded networking effort focused on the study of questions fundamental to diadromous fish ecology and restoration. The strength of this project is its integration with the Penobscot River Restoration Project (Maine), the most ambitious restoration effort ever proposed for a watershed of this size. The Penobscot River Restoration Project has the potential to restore a diverse community of fishes with important commercial and recreational value. A project of this size has numerous stakeholders, including local towns and cities, non-profit organizations, an Indian tribe, state and federal agencies and academics. A critical objective of the Network is to facilitate and encourage constructive interactions between local, regional and international diadromous fish scientists and the local stakeholders with the ultimate goal of promoting state-of-the-art scientific approaches to multiple species restoration on a watershed scale.
Results/Conclusions
We will conduct a series of science meetings, workshops and local networking to accomplish these goals, and invite the participation of any member of the ecological community interested in the restoration of diadromous fishes in the context of river and watershed restoration.