Scientists are warning that rising water temperatures in the Bay of Fundy will cause a dramatic loss of habitat for wild Atlantic salmon.

The study, conducted by the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in St. Andrews, examines the impact climate change will have on 33 marine species in the bay.

The study's lead researcher Lou Van Guelpen says the water temperature in the Bay of Fundy will rise by four degrees during the next hundred years. He says some species will be harmed by the warming trend, and others will benefit. 

"[There will be] changes in what's here and what isn't here, changes in numbers, something that's fairly abundant now might not be in the future," he said.

Natural Resources Canada funded the three-year study, which used computer modelling to predict how warmer ocean water will affect marine life.

Van Guelpen says farmed salmon could benefit from the warmer waters, lobsters aren't likely to be affected, and some invasive species including the green crab are expected to thrive.

Wild salmon at greatest risk

But he says the wild Atlantic salmon, already a threatened species in the Bay of Fundy, is in the most danger.

"There may be more frequent closures of salmon rivers because of warmer temperatures," he said. "Warmer waters in the marine side may affect migration routes or timing, both of the adults returning to spawn and the smolts that are leaving fresh water, and the post-smolts once they're in salt water."

Biologist Fred Whoriskey, who works with the Atlantic Salmon Federation, a conservation group based in St. Andrews, says the news is not encouraging. But he also says it's not time to give up hope yet.

"The salmon is not a passive animal out there, it's an aggressive fighter, and yes the sea surface temperatures are going to change in those regions, but it [the salmon] can change its migration route, it can dive a little bit deeper, it can take control of parts of its environment and actually find favourable results. So it's going to resist anything that's going wrong for itself out there."

The study examines just one aspect of the Bay of Fundy ecosystem. This week, scientists and environmentalists will gather in St. Andrews for a series of workshops looking at ways to manage the marine environment of the bay.

They'll present 80 scientific papers on everything from salt marshes to sea-floor mapping. All of them focusing on ways to to keep the Bay of Fundy healthy and productive for all species.