Reference number : GC-2017-Q2-05373, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Auger-Méthé, Marie (The University of British Columbia), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : British Columbia|Colombie-Britannique, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Discovery Grants Program - Individual, program name french : Programme de subventions à la découverte - individuelles, program purpose english : Managing and conserving aquatic animals is challenging. Marine and freshwater animals migrate, change their distribution through time, and are difficult to monitor. The primary goal of my research group will be to develop tools to quantify the value of geographic areas for aquatic species. To do so, I will link movement data with body condition, stress levels, breeding success, and population size data. Determining the relationships between habitat utilization, reproductive condition, and population processes will allow my research group to identify habitats important to the survival of aquatic species, which is a crucial step towards conservation and management planning. Because the technology used to track the movement of aquatic animals presents technical challenges such as large measurement errors, a further focus of my research program will be to develop new statistical tools that can handle these challenges. While the methods I will develop will be applicable to many species in Canada and elsewhere, I will take a multi-species approach focused on three polar study systems from the Canadian Arctic and sub-Antarctic islands. First, I will use acoustic telemetry to identify the habitat use of native zebra trout and factors affecting the spread of introduced brown trout. Protecting the habitat of zebra trout and stopping the spread of the introduced species threatening them with extirpation are conservation priorities in the Falkland Islands. My work will directly contribute to the management of these species. Second, I will use satellite telemetry to identify the marine habitat use of gentoo penguins around the Falklands, where substantial fishing and oil development is occurring. Penguins are an iconic wildlife attraction in the Falklands, where tourism is the 2 nd  largest contributor to the economy. Understanding interactions of gentoos with industry, and how they affect reproductive performance, is crucial to management. Third, I will relate changes in the Canadian Arctic to variation in the distribution of narwhals and belugas. Climate change has led to declining sea ice, which promotes increased human activity (e.g. shipping, fishing, oil and gas). I will test the hypothesis that increased shipping and ice declines have changed the distribution of these species, information needed for the creation of a Marine Protected Area in Hudson Bay. The proposed research will create national and international collaborations with academic institutions, NGOs, and governmental agencies, and is designed to directly train 17 highly qualified personnel (2 postdocs, 4 PhD, 4 MSc, 7 BSc). My research will bring novel statistical tools to assess the importance of geographic areas to species. These tools will help answer ecological questions and will be designed to address important management and conservation issues for species with significant economic, ecological, and cultural importance., program purpose french : Managing and conserving aquatic animals is challenging. Marine and freshwater animals migrate, change their distribution through time, and are difficult to monitor. The primary goal of my research group will be to develop tools to quantify the value of geographic areas for aquatic species. To do so, I will link movement data with body condition, stress levels, breeding success, and population size data. Determining the relationships between habitat utilization, reproductive condition, and population processes will allow my research group to identify habitats important to the survival of aquatic species, which is a crucial step towards conservation and management planning. Because the technology used to track the movement of aquatic animals presents technical challenges such as large measurement errors, a further focus of my research program will be to develop new statistical tools that can handle these challenges. While the methods I will develop will be applicable to many species in Canada and elsewhere, I will take a multi-species approach focused on three polar study systems from the Canadian Arctic and sub-Antarctic islands. First, I will use acoustic telemetry to identify the habitat use of native zebra trout and factors affecting the spread of introduced brown trout. Protecting the habitat of zebra trout and stopping the spread of the introduced species threatening them with extirpation are conservation priorities in the Falkland Islands. My work will directly contribute to the management of these species. Second, I will use satellite telemetry to identify the marine habitat use of gentoo penguins around the Falklands, where substantial fishing and oil development is occurring. Penguins are an iconic wildlife attraction in the Falklands, where tourism is the 2 nd  largest contributor to the economy. Understanding interactions of gentoos with industry, and how they affect reproductive performance, is crucial to management. Third, I will relate changes in the Canadian Arctic to variation in the distribution of narwhals and belugas. Climate change has led to declining sea ice, which promotes increased human activity (e.g. shipping, fishing, oil and gas). I will test the hypothesis that increased shipping and ice declines have changed the distribution of these species, information needed for the creation of a Marine Protected Area in Hudson Bay. The proposed research will create national and international collaborations with academic institutions, NGOs, and governmental agencies, and is designed to directly train 17 highly qualified personnel (2 postdocs, 4 PhD, 4 MSc, 7 BSc). My research will bring novel statistical tools to assess the importance of geographic areas to species. These tools will help answer ecological questions and will be designed to address important management and conservation issues for species with significant economic, ecological, and cultural importance., agreement title english : Linking space use, individual fitness, and population dynamics to quantify the conservation value of geographic areas, agreement title french : Linking space use, individual fitness, and population dynamics to quantify the conservation value of geographic areas, agreement number : RGPIN, agreement value : 145000.0, agreement start date : 2017-09-20, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2022-2023)., additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2022-2023)., owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada