scholarly journals Climate and competition influence sockeye salmon population dynamics across the Northeast Pacific Ocean

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (6) ◽  
pp. 943-949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan Connors ◽  
Michael J. Malick ◽  
Gregory T. Ruggerone ◽  
Pete Rand ◽  
Milo Adkison ◽  
...  

Pacific salmon productivity is influenced by ocean conditions and interspecific interactions, yet their combined effects are poorly understood. Using data from 47 North American sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) populations, we present evidence that the magnitude and direction of climate and competition effects vary over large spatial scales. In the south, a warm ocean and abundant salmon competitors combined to strongly reduce sockeye productivity, whereas in the north, a warm ocean substantially increased productivity and offset the negative effects of competition at sea. From 2005 to 2015, the approximately 82 million adult pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) produced annually from hatcheries were estimated to have reduced the productivity of southern sockeye salmon by ∼15%, on average. In contrast, for sockeye at the northwestern end of their range, the same level of hatchery production was predicted to have reduced the positive effects of a warming ocean by ∼50% (from a ∼10% to a ∼5% increase in productivity, on average). These findings reveal spatially dependent effects of climate and competition on sockeye productivity and highlight the need for international discussions about large-scale hatchery production.

2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 1122-1130 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Irvine ◽  
Masa-aki Fukuwaka

Abstract Irvine, J. R., and Fukuwaka, M. 2011. Pacific salmon abundance trends and climate change. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 1122–1130. Understanding reasons for historical patterns in salmon abundance could help anticipate future climate-related changes. Recent salmon abundance in the northern North Pacific Ocean, as indexed by commercial catches, has been among the highest on record, with no indication of decline; the 2009 catch was the highest to date. Although the North Pacific Ocean continues to produce large quantities of Pacific salmon, temporal abundance patterns vary among species and areas. Currently, pink and chum salmon are very abundant overall and Chinook and coho salmon are less abundant than they were previously, whereas sockeye salmon abundance varies among areas. Analyses confirm climate-related shifts in abundance, associated with reported ecosystem regime shifts in approximately 1947, 1977, and 1989. We found little evidence to support a major shift after 1989. From 1990, generally favourable climate-related marine conditions in the western North Pacific Ocean, as well as expanding hatchery operations and improving hatchery technologies, are increasing abundances of chum and pink salmon. In the eastern North Pacific Ocean, climate-related changes are apparently playing a role in increasing chum and pink salmon abundances and declining numbers of coho and Chinook salmon.


1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 266-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. B. Murray ◽  
J. D. McPhail

Embryo and alevin survival, time to hatching and emergence, and alevin and fry size of five species of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus) were observed at five incubation temperatures (2, 5, 8, 11, and 14 °C). No pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) or chum (O. keta) salmon embryos survived to hatching at 2 °C. Coho (O. kisutch) and sockeye (O. nerka) salmon had higher embryo survival at 2 °C than chinook (O. tschawytscha) salmon. At 14 °C, chum, pink, and chinook salmon had higher embryo survival than coho or sockeye salmon. In all species, peaks of embryo mortality occurred at specific developmental stages (completion of epiboly, eye pigmentation, and hatching). Alevin survival to emergence was high for all species, except for coho and pink salmon at 14 °C. Hatching and emergence time varied inversely with incubation temperature, but coho salmon hatched and emerged sooner at all temperatures than the other species. Coho and sockeye salmon alevins were larger at 2 °C, pink, chum, and chinook salmon alevins were larger at 5 and 8 °C. Coho salmon fry were larger at 2 °C, chinook and chum salmon fry were larger at 5 °C, and sockeye and pink salmon fry were larger at 8 °C. High incubation temperatures reduced fry size in all species. Each species of Pacific salmon appears to be adapted to different spawning times and temperatures, and thus indirectly to specific incubation temperatures, to ensure maximum survival and size and to maintain emergence at the most favorable time each year.


2013 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.R. Donaldson ◽  
G.D. Raby ◽  
V.N. Nguyen ◽  
S.G. Hinch ◽  
D.A. Patterson ◽  
...  

We evaluate the utility of an inexpensive, portable recovery bag designed to facilitate recovery of fish from capture stress by combining physiological assays, biotelemetry, and social science surveys. Adult migrating Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) were used as a model, since some of their populations are threatened. While catch-and-release is common, there is a need to ensure that it is sustainable. A social science survey revealed that anglers generally have positive attitudes towards recovery bag use, particularly if research identifies that such techniques could be effective. Physiological assays on pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) revealed benefits of both high- and low-velocity recovery, but high velocity was most effective with reduced plasma cortisol concentrations and similar plasma sodium and chloride concentrations as those found in controls at all recovery durations. A biotelemetry study on sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) captured by anglers and stressed by air exposure then placed in recovery bags had 20% higher, but not significantly different, survival than no-recovery salmon. The integration of natural science and social science provides an important step forward in developing methods for promoting recovery of fish from capture.


2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (8) ◽  
pp. 1233-1242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo O. Amoroso ◽  
Michael D. Tillotson ◽  
Ray Hilborn

Hatchery production of juvenile fish for release into the wild has been practiced for well over a century in an effort to increase the number of salmon available to harvest. In this study, we evaluate the net impact of the largest such program in North America, the hatchery program for pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska. At the same time the hatchery program was increasing in output, there was a major change in productivity in the North Pacific so that throughout Alaska pink salmon increased dramatically in abundance between the 1970s and the 2000s. Using other regions of Alaska as reference sites, we estimate that the PWS hatchery program has increased the total catch by an average of 17 million fish, of which 8 million have been allocated to pay hatchery operating expenses. We estimate that the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) of wild spawning fish in PWS has increased slightly (28%), while in regions of Alaska without pink salmon hatchery programs the MSY has tripled. Our results support the use of a precautionary approach to future large-scale stock enhancement efforts.


2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (9) ◽  
pp. 2076-2086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan D Hocking ◽  
Thomas E Reimchen

Anadromous Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) subsidize terrestrial food webs with their nutrients and carcasses, a process driven largely by selective foraging by bears (Ursus spp.). We quantify wildlife transfer of salmon carcasses to riparian zones on two watersheds in coastal British Columbia and estimate total terrestrial fly production from remnant carcasses. Large-bodied chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) were transferred into the forest at a greater rate than were pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) (chum salmon mass = 6089–11 031 kg, 16%–48% of salmon run; pink salmon mass = 2266–2808 kg, 4%–6% of salmon run). Blow flies (genus Calliphora) and other Diptera dominated colonization (>90% of salmon carcasses). Between the two watersheds, 196 and 265 g of Calliphora larvae per metre of spawning length (4 and 7 million larvae for whole watersheds) were generated from salmon carcass transfer. Stable isotope analysis of δ15N and δ13C of spring-emerging adult Calliphora revealed that >80% of individuals had salmon-based signatures. Flies are a dominant consumer and vector of salmon nutrients in terrestrial habitats and supplement the diet of at least 16 vertebrate and 22 invertebrate species. Anticipated further declines of salmon in the North Pacific can be expected to further erode the complex associations coupling marine and terrestrial ecosystems.


2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Krkošek ◽  
Ray Hilborn

The spread of salmon lice ( Lepeophtheirus salmonis ) from salmon farms may threaten some wild salmon populations. Infestations of wild juvenile pink salmon ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha ) have been associated with high mortality and population decline. Using stock–recruit data for pink salmon from the central coast of British Columbia, we analyzed how fishing mortality and spatial covariation combine with louse infestation to affect pink salmon population dynamics. The results indicate substantial coherence in survival at nested spatial scales — large-scale regional covariation and smaller scale covariation within management areas. Populations exposed to salmon farms (those from the Broughton Archipelago) show a sharp decline in productivity during sea lice infestations relative to pre-infestation years. Unexposed populations (comprising four management areas) did not experience a change in productivity during infestation years and had similar productivity to exposed populations before infestations. Our results suggest that sea lice infestations may result in declines of pink salmon populations and that management and policy of salmon farms should consider protecting wild juvenile salmon from exposure to sea lice.


2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1784) ◽  
pp. 20133221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Krkošek ◽  
John M. Drake

Critical slowing down (CSD) reflects the decline in resilience of equilibria near a bifurcation and may reveal early warning signals (EWS) of ecological phase transitions. We studied CSD in the recruitment dynamics of 120 stocks of three Pacific salmon ( Oncorhynchus spp.) species in relation to critical transitions in fishery models. Pink salmon ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha ) exhibited increased variability and autocorrelation in populations that had a growth parameter, r , close to zero, consistent with EWS of extinction. However, models and data for sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) indicate that portfolio effects from heterogeneity in age-at-maturity may obscure EWS. Chum salmon ( Oncorhynchus keta ) show intermediate results. The data do not reveal EWS of Ricker-type bifurcations that cause oscillations and chaos at high r . These results not only provide empirical support for CSD in some ecological systems, but also indicate that portfolio effects of age structure may conceal EWS of some critical transitions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 818-833 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory T. Ruggerone ◽  
Brendan M. Connors

Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) populations from Southeast Alaska through British Columbia to Washington State have experienced similar declines in productivity over the past two decades, leading to economic and ecosystem concerns. Because the declines have spanned a wide geographic area, the primary mechanisms driving them likely operate at a large, multiregional scale at sea. However, identification of such mechanisms has remained elusive. Using hierarchical models of stock–recruitment dynamics, we tested the hypothesis that competition between pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and sockeye salmon for prey has led to reduced growth and productivity and delayed maturation of up to 36 sockeye populations spanning the region during the past 55 years. Our findings indicate the abundance of North Pacific pink salmon in the second year of sockeye life at sea is a key factor contributing to the decline of sockeye salmon productivity, including sockeye in the Fraser River where an increase from 200 to 400 million pink salmon is predicted to reduce sockeye recruitment by 39%. Additionally, length-at-age of Fraser River sockeye salmon declined with greater sockeye and pink salmon abundance, and age at maturity increased with greater pink salmon abundance. Our analyses provide evidence that interspecific competition for prey can affect growth, age, and survival of sockeye salmon at sea.


2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 205-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy E Essington ◽  
Thomas P Quinn ◽  
Victor E Ewert

Individual female Pacific salmon fight for breeding space with conspecific and heterospecific females. We evaluated the consequences of this competition on the reproductive success of sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka), chum (Oncorhynchus keta), and pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) in the Weaver Creek spawning channel, British Columbia. We hypothesized that differences in body size, relative abundance, and spawning date would influence the magnitude of interspecific interactions. Reproductive success (survival rate of eggs to emigrating fry) of the most abundant species, sockeye, was strongly and inversely correlated with conspecific abundance but not with the abundance of the other, less abundant species. Chum reproductive success was inversely correlated with sockeye abundance but not with the abundance of the scarce and smaller pink. Surprisingly, pink reproductive success was not correlated with sockeye abundance and only marginally correlated with chum abundance despite the fact that pink are smaller and spawn earlier than sockeye. Thus, intra- and inter-specific competition can substantially affect salmon reproductive success, but the magnitude of the competitive effects may depend on relative abundance, size, spawning date, and microhabitat preferences.


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