The influence of population dynamics and environmental conditions on pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) recolonization after barrier removal in the Fraser River, British Columbia, Canada

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 970-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.R. Pess ◽  
R. Hilborn ◽  
K. Kloehn ◽  
T.P. Quinn
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
River System ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Source Population ◽  
Fraser River ◽  
Extrinsic Factors ◽  
Barrier Removal

When barriers are removed, what biotic and abiotic factors determine how fish populations will colonize newly available habitats? We used counts of adult pink salmon ( Oncorhywnchus gorbuscha ) from 1947 to 1987 in 66 streams of the Fraser River system, British Columbia, Canada, to determine when colonizing pink salmon populations became self-sustaining after a long-term migration blockage at Hell’s Gate (river kilometre 209) was reduced. The abundance of salmon in available habitats were largely controlled by extrinsic factors such as an initially large source population, high intrinsic growth rates linked to favorable climate-driven conditions, a constant supply of dispersers, and large amounts of newly available habitat. Temporal variation in flows at Hell’s Gate also affected recolonization success. Self-sustaining populations were developed within years of barrier removal and have continued to help expand the overall population of Fraser River pink salmon. However, pink salmon were considerably more abundant in the early 1900s than in the 1980s (∼48 million vs. ∼2.7 million), and the majority of spawning shifted from the historic areas above Hell’s Gate prior to the rockslide to below Hell’s Gate in the lower Fraser River after the long-term blockage was reduced, so the system has not returned to the former abundance and distribution patterns.

Orientation of Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) During Early Marine Migration from Bella Coola River System

1967 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 2321-2338 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Healey
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
River System ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Salmon Fry ◽  
Marine Migration ◽  
Bella Coola

During May and June 1966, the migration of pink salmon fry from the Bella Coola River was studied in Burke Channel, British Columbia. The movement of pink fry down Burke Channel was saltatory. Short periods of active migration were interspersed with longer periods when the fry did not migrate and accumulated in bays. Fry were sampled from these accumulations and their ability to orient using celestial cues was examined. During the early morning, fry tended to prefer directions at right angles to their direction of migration, but at other times of the day preferred the direction of migration. The preference for the direction of migration was strongest at midday. Fry were better oriented on clear days than on cloudy days. These data indicate that fry may use celestial cues to find directions during their oceanic migrations.

Transplantation of Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) into Masset inlet, British Columbia, in the Barren Years

1938 ◽  
Vol 4a (2) ◽  
pp. 141-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Pritchard
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Fraser River ◽  
Free Swimming ◽  
Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
The Absolute ◽  
River Fishery

In 1931, 1933, 1935, odd-numbered years, when no natural runs of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) occur in the Masset area, British Columbia, transfers of eggs were made from the Tlell river on the east coast of Graham island to McClinton creek, a tributary of Masset inlet. The following free-swimming fry were released: from the 1931 experiment—753,646 normal and 124,002 "marked" by the removal of the adipose and left ventral fins, and from that of 1935—397,657 normal and 108,200 "marked" by the removal of the adipose and right ventral fins. From the former, 40 "marked" adults were recovered in the Fraser river fishery in 1933, and from the latter four "marked" adults at McClinton creek in 1937. In the 1933 experiment 540,294 eyed eggs were planted but these were destroyed by freshets the following winter. Possible reasons for the failure of these experiments and the absolute blank in the "off" years are suggested.

Critical Swimming Speed of Fraser and Thompson River Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)

1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 348-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. V. Williams ◽  
J. R. Brett
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Swimming Speed ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Fraser River ◽  
Critical Swimming Speed ◽  
Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
River Fish

Critical swimming speeds were determined for male and female pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) captured from the Fraser and Thompson rivers and Seton Creek, British Columbia. The fish were categorized into two basic groups. Lower river fish were captured from the Fraser River at Fort Langley and Yale, and up-river fish were captured from the Thompson River at the Canyon and at Ashcroft and from Seton Creek near Lillooet, British Columbia. The critical swimming speeds of males and females in various stages of maturation were compared. In general, the up-river fish were stronger swimmers than the lower river fish. Gravid fish were stronger swimmers than spawning fish, which in turn were stronger swimmers than fish which were spawned out. Standardized critical swimming speeds ranged from a mean of 1.73 ± 0.35 (SE) body lengths/s for spawned females up to 3.39 ± 0.48 lengths/s for up-river gravid males.

Fertilization of Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) Ova by Spermatozoa from Gonadotropin-Injected Juveniles

1972 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward M. Donaldson ◽  
James D. Funk ◽  
F. C. Withler ◽  
R. B. Morley
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Sexual Maturation ◽  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Testicular Development ◽  
Fraser River ◽  
Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Early Maturation ◽  
Two Stages

Sexual maturation in male pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) from Jones Creek, a tributary of the Fraser River, British Columbia, was accelerated by intraperitoneal injections of partially purified chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) gonadotropin. The treated pinks produced milt 1 year earlier than normal. Milt from these fish was compared with milt from wild Lower Babine River pinks with respect to its ability to fertilize the ova of Lower Babine River females. There were no marked differences in proportions of ova fertilized, in survival to hatching, or in numbers of deformed larvae. Densities of sperm in the milt from treated males ranged from 0.15 × 109 to 7.35 × 109 per ml; sperm densities in the milt from wild males ranged from 19.3 × 109 to 38.6 × 109 per ml. Two stages in testicular development were identified among the treated males and found to be directly related to the success of fertilization. The significance of induced early maturation in attempts to establish pink runs in the "off" year rivers is discussed.

Biochemical genetic variation in odd-year pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) from Kamchatka

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (11) ◽  
pp. 2115-2120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nataly V. Varnavskaya ◽  
Terry D. Beacham
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Electrophoretic Analysis ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Fraser River ◽  
River Population ◽  
Allelic Frequencies ◽  
Large Geographic Area

Electrophoretic analysis was conducted at 17 loci for eight populations of pink salmon spawning in odd years from the east coast of Kamchatka and one population from the Fraser River drainage in British Columbia. Heterogeneity in allelic frequencies among the Kamchatkan populations was observed at 5 loci (ADA, GPD, MDH-1,2, PGDH, and PGM). Substantial heterogeneity in allelic frequencies was observed between Kamchatkan populations and the Fraser River population. Cluster analysis, based on 5 loci surveyed in previous studies, indicated that pink salmon from the Fraser River and southern British Columbia were distinct from more northerly spawning populations in British Columbia, Alaska, and Kamchatka. The concept of a "fluctuating stock" population structure of pink salmon or random mixing during spawning over a large geographic area was not supported by observed patterns of genetic variation.

Early marine growth of juvenile Fraser River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in relation to juvenile pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and sockeye salmon abundance

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (9) ◽  
pp. 1499-1512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Skip McKinnell ◽  
Maxine Reichardt
Keyword(s):  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Nerka ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
First Year ◽  
Fraser River ◽  
Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Strait Of Georgia ◽  
Average Survival

Mortality of salmon in the ocean is considered to be greatest during the first few months and that its magnitude is an inverse of growth. First year marine growth (M1) in two Fraser River sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) populations was positively correlated, reflecting a shared oceanic experience as postsmolts. M1 declined abruptly in both populations after 1977, corresponding to a well-documented change in climate. The reduction in average M1 was not accompanied by a detectable reduction in average survival. In both populations, M1 was significantly greater in even years when juvenile pink salmon ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha ) are abundant in the Strait of Georgia, suggesting that interspecific competition there has little effect on M1. All correlations of M1 with regional pink salmon or sockeye salmon abundances, lagged to align ocean entry years, were negative, but few (pink) or none (sockeye) were statistically significant. The negative correlations were due to the long-term changes (pink salmon abundance increasing, sockeye M1 smaller). Odd year dominance of juvenile pink salmon in northern British Columbia, Canada, is persistent and corresponds with the biennial pattern of M1 variation in Fraser River sockeye salmon and may be the source of the significant odd–even year line effect on M1.

Biochemical Genetic Stock Identification of Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) in Southern British Columbia and Puget Sound

1985 ◽  
Vol 42 (9) ◽  
pp. 1474-1483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry D. Beacham ◽  
Ruth E. Withler ◽  
Allan P. Gould
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Puget Sound ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Fraser River ◽  
Genetic Stock ◽  
Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Allelic Frequencies ◽  
Genetic Stock Identification ◽  
Duplicated Loci

We used electrophoresis to examine genetic variability at 12 loci for 4 even-year broodline stocks and at 14 loci for 21 odd-year broodline stocks of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) in southern British Columbia and Puget Sound. Allelic frequencies were most heterogeneous between the two pink salmon broodlines, but within the odd-year broodline, Fraser River, Canadian non-Fraser, and Puget Sound pink salmon had significantly different allelic frequencies at some loci. Canadian non-Fraser River stocks had the greatest heterogeneity of allelic frequencies within a region, whereas the Fraser River stocks had the least amount of heterogeneity. There was no significant two-locus linkage disequilibrium for the pink salmon stocks surveyed. Cluster analyses by allelic frequencies indicated that Fraser River, Canadian non-Fraser, and Puget Sound stocks were reasonably distinctive. We used differences in genotypic frequencies at 11 loci (3 were duplicated loci) to estimate stock composition of these three groups of pink salmon in mixtures in which the true compositions were known, and we were able to compare the accuracy and precision of our estimates with respect to mixture size and stock composition. We estimated that 100% of pink salmon sampled in a test fishery in Thompson Sound were of Canadian non-Fraser origin.

Supplementary Checks on the Scales of Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and Chum Salmon (O. keta)

1965 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 1477-1489 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. T. Bilton ◽  
W. E. Ricker
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Chum Salmon ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Commercial Fisheries ◽  
Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Second Year Of Life ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Similar Incidence

Among 159 central British Columbia pink salmon that had been marked by removal of two fins as fry and had been recovered in commercial fisheries after one winter in the sea, the scales of about one-third showed a supplementary or "false" check near the centre of the scale, in addition to the single clear-cut annulus. This evidence from fish of known age confirms the prevailing opinion that such extra checks do not represent annuli, hence that the fish bearing them are in their second year of life rather than their third. Unmarked pink salmon from the same area, and some from southern British Columbia, had a generally similar incidence of supplementary checks. In both marked and unmarked fish the supplementary checks varied in distinctness from faint to quite clear. In a sample of scales of 14 double-fin marked chum salmon which were known to be in their 4th year, all fish had the expected 3 annuli, and 12 fish had a supplementary check inside the first annulus.

Bedforms, bed material, and bedload transport in a salt-wedge estuary: Fraser River, British Columbia

1989 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1440-1452 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Kostaschuk ◽  
M. A. Church ◽  
J. L. Luternauer
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
River Discharge ◽  
Bedload Transport ◽  
Fraser River ◽  
Seasonal Fluctuations ◽  
Salt Wedge ◽  
Migration Rates ◽  
Material Load ◽  
Bed Material

The lower main channel of the Fraser River, British Columbia, is a sand-bed, salt-wedge estuary in which variations in velocity, discharge, and bedform characteristics are contolled by river discharge and the tides. Bed-material composition remains consistent over the discharge season and in the long term. Changes in bedform height and length follow but lag behind seasonal fluctuations in river discharge. Migration rates of bedforms respond more directly to river discharge and tidal fall than do height and length. Bedform characteristics were utilized to estimate bedload transport in the estuary, and a strong, direct, but very sensitive relationship was found between bed load and river discharge. Annual bedload transport in the estuary is estimated to be of the order of 0.35 Mt in 1986. Bedload transport in the estuary appears to be higher than in reaches upstream, possibly because of an increase in sediment movement along the bed to compensate for a reduction in suspended bed-material load produced by tidal slack water and the salt wedge.

Statistical Evaluation of a Large-Scale Fishing Experiment Designed to Test for a Genetic Effect of Size-Selective Fishing on British Columbia Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)

1992 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 1294-1304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murdoch K. McAllister ◽  
Randall M. Peterman ◽  
Darren M. Gillis
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Genetic Effect ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Causal Mechanism ◽  
Block Designs ◽  
Adult Size ◽  
Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha

Since 1950, stocks of British Columbia pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) have shown up to a 34% decrease in mean adult body weight, causing significant reduction in economic value of commercial harvests. Previous research suggests that this trend is due to size-selective harvesting of large fish, but changes in oceanographic conditions are a plausible alternative. Corrective action by management agencies requires that the true causal mechanism be identified. We therefore examined several possible designs for a large-scale fishing experiment devised to test the size-selective fishing hypothesis. These designs would generate accurate and precise field estimates of the heritability (h2) of growth rate, which is important because it, in combination with the selection differential (D) caused by fishing, determines how rapidly body size changes. Monte Carlo simulations showed that block designs with three to six spatial replicates and relatively short durations generated high statistical power. For example, for h2 = 0.22, D = 0.25 kg, and four spatial replicates, an 8-yr experiment resulted in power = 0.87, which gave a SE < 0.10 for h2 = 0.22. We conclude that some experimental designs have good potential to test the possible effects of size-selective fishing on mean adult size of British Columbia pink salmon.

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