Geographic variation in environmental factors regulating outmigration timing of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) smolts

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian C. Spence ◽  
E.J. Dick

The environmental cues that regulate smoltification and trigger downstream movement by salmon should vary across space in response to differences in the predictability of favorable conditions for migration and ocean entry. To examine this, we modeled the short-term outmigration probability of four coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) populations in three distinct geographic regions in relation to photoperiod, temperature, streamflow, lunar phase, and interactions among these variables. For smolts in Deer and Flynn creeks, Oregon (1960–1972), migration probability was influenced by numerous factors, including photoperiod, temperature (absolute and change), flow (absolute and change), and lunar phase, with certain factors interacting. Smolts from Carnation Creek, British Columbia (1972–1986) responded to a similarly diverse suite of factors (excluding lunar phase), though in somewhat different ways. In contrast, migration timing of smolts in Sashin Creek, Alaska (1959–1969) was best explained by a model that included only photoperiod, temperature, and the interaction between these terms. These population differences suggest fundamental differences across regions in the selection processes operating in both marine and freshwater environments.

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (8) ◽  
pp. 1316-1334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian C. Spence ◽  
James D. Hall

The timing of ocean entry by salmon smolts is presumed adaptive to maximize survival during this critical life transition. We analyzed the peak timing, duration, and interannual variation in timing of smolt migrations for 53 coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) populations from central California to Kodiak Island, Alaska. The objective was to examine potential influences of both local watershed characteristics and larger-scale processes in the marine environment on smolt migration patterns. Multivariate analyses demonstrated a strong latitudinal gradient in migration patterns with trends toward later, shorter, and more predictable migrations with increasing latitude. Cluster analysis performed on migration descriptors indicated three major population groupings that coincide with major coastal oceanic regions in the northeast Pacific: a northern group from Kodiak Island to the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, a central group from the Queen Charlotte Islands south to the Columbia River, and a southern group from the Columbia River southward. These regional patterns transcended local variability associated with watershed characteristics and trap location, suggesting that the patterns reflect adaptation to differences in timing and relative predictability of favorable conditions in the marine environments that smolts enter.


1985 ◽  
Vol 42 (8) ◽  
pp. 1410-1417 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Berg ◽  
T. G. Northcote

The territorial, gill-flaring, and feeding behavior of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in a laboratory stream was disrupted by short-term exposure to suspended sediment pulses. At the higher turbidities tested (30 and 60 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU)), dominance hierarchies broke down, territories were not defended, and gill flaring occurred more frequently. Only after return to lower turbidities (0–20 NTU) was social organization reestablished. The reaction distance of the fish to adult brine shrimp decreased significantly in turbid water (30 and 60 NTU) as did capture success per strike and the percentage of prey ingested. Implications of these behavioral modifications suggest that the fitness of salmonid populations exposed to short-term pulses of suspended sediment may be impaired.


1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (8) ◽  
pp. 1397-1407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Bilby ◽  
Peter A. Bisson

Downstream movement of coho salmon fry (Oncorhynchus kisutch) stocked in old-growth and clear-cut watersheds occurred in three phases: (1) a brief period of heavy emigration immediately after stocking, (2) relatively little movement throughout most of the summer, and (3) intermittent heavy emigration during early autumn freshets. Coho emigrated whenever a streamflow change ≥ 3%∙d−1 occurred, but movement nearly ceased at flows above a certain level. Temperature changes were less important than discharge in triggering movement. When high densities were stocked, emigrant fry were smaller than residents. When low densities were stocked, emigration after the initial pulse of downstream movement was generally lower and there were no size differences between emigrants and residents. Production in the clear-cut was greater than in the old-growth watershed. Proportionately fewer fish emigrated from the old-growth stream, but when population densities were high, mortality in the old-growth exceeded the clear-cut. Greater emigration from the clear-cut site was possibly related to a scarcity of pools. Although the old-growth stream possessed better rearing habitat, less food may have been available, as suggested by gross photosynthesis rates 50% lower than in the clear-cut stream. Coho production therefore appeared to be most strongly influenced by trophic conditions, while volitional residency was most strongly influenced by habitat quality.


1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 1383-1391 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. Thedinga ◽  
Michael L. Murphy ◽  
Jonathan Heifetz ◽  
K V. Koski ◽  
Scott W. Johnson

Short-term effects of logging on age composition and size of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) were studied in 18 streams in Southeast Alaska in 1982 and 1983; studies were in old-growth and clear-cut reaches with or without buffer strips. The number of fry (age 0) in summer and winter was proportionately higher in buffered and clear-cut reaches than in old-growth reaches, and all treatments averaged a 20% decrease in fry from summer to winter. Fry length and condition factor were greater for buffered and clear-cut reaches than for old-growth reaches, whereas parr (age 1 and older) size did not differ among treatments. Fry and parr were larger in the southern than in the northern regions and their length and weight were directly related to peripbyton biomass and benthos density. A higher percentage of large [Formula: see text] fry remained in buffered reaches than in clear-cut and old-growth reaches; therefore, the density of fry that were potentially large enough to become smolts the next spring (presmolts) was greater in buffered reaches. The larger fry in buffered and clear-cut reaches compared with old-growth reaches was probably due to earlier fry emergence that resulted from increased water temperature.


Cryobiology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 95 ◽  
pp. 44-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osvaldo Merino ◽  
Kelly Dumorné ◽  
Sandoval-Vargas Leidy ◽  
Elías Figueroa ◽  
Iván Valdebenito ◽  
...  

1982 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 588-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. F. Hartman ◽  
B. C. Andersen ◽  
J. C. Scrivener

The seaward movement of coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) fry was monitored over a 10-yr period as a part of a major watershed study. The time period over which downstream movement took place varied widely during different years of study. Coho fry moved seaward earlier, and terminated the main period of movement earlier, following winters in which stream temperatures were warmer. It is presumed that they underwent more rapid development during winters in which stream temperatures were relatively high. Winter stream temperatures were primarily dependent on air temperatures. During seaward movement daily numbers fluctuated widely. Peaks of movement were coincident with or slightly before freshet peaks. In 94 of 122 cases (77%) the number of fry moving seaward during the night of peak discharge, or during the night before, was higher than in any of the three preceding nights. Movement in these cases may have been initiated by rainfall or falling water temperature or a combination of both. Aggressive behavior among coho fry is considered to be an underlying cause of seaward movement. In Carnation Creek, particularly in the early part of the period of seaward movement, the effects of such social behavior on movement patterns may be masked by the effect of freshets and related conditions. By autumn the number of fry remaining in the stream ranged from 9000 to 13 000 over the 10-yr study. Much of the downward adjustment to this resident fry population size occurred after the most active period of seaward movement.Key words: coho fry, social behavior, seaward movement, stream ecology, coho management


2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 917-930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk W Lang ◽  
Gordon H Reeves ◽  
James D Hall ◽  
Mark S Wipfli

This study examined the influence of fall-spawning coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) on the density, growth rate, body condition, and survival to outmigration of juvenile coho salmon on the Copper River Delta, Alaska, USA. During the fall of 1999 and 2000, fish rearing in beaver ponds that received spawning salmon were compared with fish from ponds that did not receive spawners and also with fish from ponds that were artificially enriched with salmon carcasses and eggs. The response to spawning salmon was variable. In some ponds, fall-spawning salmon increased growth rates and improved the condition of juvenile coho salmon. The enrichment with salmon carcasses and eggs significantly increased growth rates of fish in nonspawning ponds. However, there was little evidence that the short-term growth benefits observed in the fall led to greater overwinter growth or survival to outmigration when compared with fish from the nonspawning ponds. One potential reason for this result may be that nutrients from spawning salmon are widely distributed across the delta because of hydrologic connectivity and hyporheic flows. The relationship among spawning salmon, overwinter growth, and smolt production on the Copper River Delta does not appear to be limited entirely to a simple positive feedback loop.


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