(music plays)

An animated blue sign that reads "Fish Talk with Leo" falls into the sea.

Leo is an animated blue and orange catfish. She swims near two tablets at the bottom of a lake.

Leo says IT'S
FISH TALK WITH LEO.
THAT'S RIGHT. IT'S ME, LEO,
INTERVIEWING THE EXPERTS
AND TAKING YOU BEHIND THE SCENES
OF ALL THE AMAZING WORK
THAT'S HAPPENING
AT PARKS CANADA.
YOU MIGHT THINK IT'S HARD
KEEPING TRACK OF SALMON,
AND YOU'D BE RIGHT.
SALMON ARE TRAVELLERS.
THEY LIVE IN BOTH THE OCEANS
AND THE RIVERS,
AND IT'S ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT
TO KEEP TRACK OF
THIS ENDANGERED POPULATION
OF THE INNER BAY OF FUNDY
ATLANTIC SALMON.
BUT IT SEEMS RESEARCHERS
BECKY AND KURT
HAVE FOUND A GREAT WAY
OF KEEPING TRACK OF
THIS SPECIAL SALMON POPULATION.

An animated map homes in on Fundy National Park in New Brunswick.

Leo says SO, I'VE HEARD
THIS RUMOUR
THAT CABLE HAS SOME MAGIC WAY
OF HELPING THE SALMON.
WHAT THE HECK IS IT?

A caption reads "Kurt Samways. University of New Brunswick. Researcher." He is in his early fifties, clean-shaven with receding graying hair. He wears a plaid shirt and a lifejacket.

By a river, Kurt says IT'S A PIT ANTENNA ARRAY.
SO, IT'S A WAY FOR US
TO DETECT SALMON
THAT ARE ENTERING AND LEAVING
THE RIVER.

Leo says NOW, THAT'S A MOUTHFUL.
OKAY.
IN PLAIN FISH TERMS,
A PIT TAG IS
A TYPE OF
TRACKING DEVICE
THAT IS PUT INTO A FISH,
AND IN THIS CASE,
THE VERY SPECIAL
ENDANGERED POPULATION
OF THE INNER BAY OF FUNDY
ATLANTIC SALMON.

The caption changes to "Passive integrated transponder."

Becky is in her forties, with shoulder-length blondish wavy hair. She wears a blue jacket.

The caption changes to "Becky Graham. Park Canada. Ecologist."

Becky says THIS IS A PIT TAG.
IT DOESN'T HAVE A BATTERY,
SO IT NEVER RUNS OUT OF ENERGY.
AND EVERY PIT TAG
HAS A UNIQUE NUMBER.
SO, THAT WAY, IF THIS FISH,
AFTER WE TAG IT,
WERE TO COME BACK
THREE YEARS FROM NOW,
WE WOULD KNOW WHO IT WAS AND
THE LAST TIME THAT WE SAW IT,
AND WE'D HAVE
ALL THAT INFORMATION
TO KEEP TRACK.

Leo says SO, WHAT DOES
A PIT TAG
HAVE TO DO WITH
THE ARRAY?

Becky says SO, THERE'S A SMALL COPPER COIL
INSIDE THE TAG.
AND WHEN IT COMES THROUGH
THIS ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD,
IT GIVES THE TAG ENOUGH ENERGY
TO PING OUT ITS NUMBER.
AND WHAT THE READER DOES IS
IT DETECTS THAT PING
AND RECORDS IT FOR US.
AND SO, SINCE EACH TAG
HAS A UNIQUE NUMBER,
THAT LETS US KNOW WHICH FISH
ARE COMING AND GOING
THROUGH THE RIVER.

An animation shows the process explained.

Leo says HOLD YOUR FINS.
SO, ARE YOU SAYING
THAT WIRE BEHIND
TELLS YOU ABOUT
THE SALMON IN THE RIVER?

Becky says YEAH. IT'S LIKE
IF YOU BOUGHT AN APPLE
AT THE GROCERY STORE
AND IT HAD A STICKER ON IT.
AND YOU SCAN IT, AND THEN THE
NUMBER COMES UP ON THE SCREEN
AND IT SHOWS THAT YOU BOUGHT
AN APPLE.
IT'S JUST LIKE THAT.
WHEN A FISH SWIMS THROUGH,
IT RECORDS THE NUMBER
AND WE CAN SEE
WHO HAS BEEN THERE.

Leo says BUT HOW DO YOU GET
ALL THAT INFORMATION
OUT OF THAT ITTY-BITTY
WIRE BEHIND YOU?

Kurt says THIS ANTENNA WIRE NOW CAN DETECT
THAT SIGNAL.
IT TRAVELS THROUGH THESE CABLES,
ALL THE WAY UP THE HILL
TO THE TOP, WHERE OUR READER IS.
AND IT'S STORED ON A LITTLE
MEMORY CARD IN THAT READER,
SO THAT, WHEN WE COME
WITH OUR COMPUTER,
WE CAN PLUG IT IN.
WE CAN DOWNLOAD IT.
AND THAT'S WHEN WE GET
ALL THAT INFORMATION.

Leo says WOW. SO, DOES THAT MEAN
YOU NEVER HAVE TO BOTHER
THE SALMON AGAIN?

Kurt says THAT'S THE REALLY NICE THING
ABOUT IT.
SO, YOU ONLY HAVE TO HANDLE
THE FISH ONCE.
AND THEN AFTER THAT,
IT'S ON ITS OWN,
AND THIS IS ALL...
IT'S DETECTED PASSIVELY,
WHICH IS THE MAIN THING.

Leo says SO, WHAT HAS THE ARRAY
HELPED YOU LEARN
ABOUT THE SALMON?

Salmons swim in the river.

Kurt says SO, WE'VE LEARNED
WHEN THEY'RE RETURNING,
HOW EARLY THEY RETURN.
WE ALSO KNOW HOW LONG
THEY STAY IN THE RIVER.
WHEN THEY SPAWN,
WHEN THEY LEAVE.
WE CAN ALSO LEARN WHAT KIND OF
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
ARE FAVOURABLE FOR SALMON
TO ENTER AND LEAVE THE RIVER.
SO, WE CAN GET ALL KINDS OF
REALLY GREAT,
POPULATION-LEVEL INFORMATION
THAT YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GET
WITH OTHER METHODS
OF TRACKING FISH.

Leo says SO, IT'S LIKE SPYING
ON THE FISH,
BUT IN A FRIENDLY WAY.

Becky says AND ANOTHER THING WE DO
IN THIS RIVER QUITE A LOT.
ALL OF THOSE TAGS,
WHEN WE PUT THEM IN THE FISH,
WE ALSO TOOK A LITTLE BIT OF
A TISSUE SAMPLE.
SO, USUALLY WE TAKE
JUST A LITTLE CLIP,
ABOUT THE SIZE OF
THE TIP OF MY FINGERNAIL,
OFF THE FISH'S
TAIL FIN.
WITH THAT, WE'RE ABLE TO GET
ALL OF THE GENETIC INFORMATION
TO KNOW WHO THAT FISH'S PARENTS
WERE,
WHICH FAMILY THEY BELONG TO.
AND ALL OF THAT TELLS US
WHICH FISH
ARE BEING MOST SUCCESSFUL
IN THIS KIND OF
CHANGING ENVIRONMENT.

Leo says SO, YOU'RE NOT
JUST FOLLOWING
ONE SALMON,
BUT IT'S WHOLE FAMILY?
FIN-CREDIBLE!

Becky says THIS POPULATION IS
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED,
AND HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS SUCH
SINCE 2003.
SO, THERE'S A LOT OF WORK
BY PARKS CANADA,
OUR PARTNERS LIKE UNB
AND LOTS OF OTHER GROUPS
TO TRY TO HELP SUPPORT
THIS POPULATION.

Several logos pop up.

Becky continues AND ONE OF THE BEST WAYS
WE CAN DO THAT
IS BY UNDERSTANDING
WHAT THEIR BEHAVIOUR IS,
SO WE KNOW HOW TO PROTECT THEM
AND WHEN TO PROTECT THEM.

Leo says WHOA. TRYING TO HELP
AN ENDANGERED SPECIES
SOUNDS LIKE
A LOT OF WORK.

Becky says PROBLEMS LIKE THIS,
THINGS THAT ARE
TRICKY TO SOLVE AND HAVE
A LOT OF DIFFERENT PIECES,
TAKES A LOT OF PEOPLE
WORKING TOGETHER
TO FIGURE THEM OUT.
EXPERTS LIKE KURT.
VISITORS WHO TELL US
WHEN THEY SEE SALMON
IN THE RIVERS.
WITHOUT EVERYBODY'S HELP,
WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO
THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING
TO TRY TO PROTECT
OUR AQUATIC FRIENDS HERE
IN FUNDY NATIONAL PARK.

Leo says TEAMWORK
MAKES FOR DREAM WORK.
IF YOU'RE VISITING
THE BAY OF FUNDY
NATIONAL PARK,
MAKE SURE YOU LET
BECKY AND HER TEAM KNOW
IF YOU SEE
ONE OF THESE BEAUTIES
IN THE RIVER.
GO, TEAM SALMON!

(theme music plays)

The end credits roll.

Copyright 2020, Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by Parks Canada.