Parasites as Potential Biological Tags of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) smolts in the Miramichi River System, New Brunswick

1976 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 1139-1143 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.M. Hare ◽  
M. D. B. Burt

Ten parasite species (one protozoan, eight helminth, one mollusc) were collected from 1262 smolts of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in the eight tributaries and estuary of the Miramichi River, New Brunswick, Canada during 1970 and 1971. Three of these parasites, Discocotyle sagittata, Diplostomum spathaceum, and Neoechinorhynchus rutili showed restricted distributions within the study area. Discocotyle sagittata infected 32.6% of 435 smolts collected from tributaries draining into the Main Northwest Miramichi River but only 0.3% of 604 smolts collected from tributaries draining into the Main Southwest Miramichi River. Diplostomum spathaceum infected 18.9% of 148 smolts collected from the Southwest Miramichi River but was absent in 819 smolts collected from the remaining tributaries. Neoechinorhynchus rutili infected 18.8% of 144 smolts collected from the Bartholomew River but only 0.2% of 895 smolts collected from the other tributaries. Presence of Discocotyle sagittata on smolts collected in the estuary of the Miramichi River would identify smolts that originated in the Main Northwest Miramichi River, thus allowing for a separation of smolts from this branch and the other main branch, the Main Southwest Miramichi River. Presence of Diplostomum spathaceum in smolts collected in the Main Southwest Miramichi River or in the estuary of the Miramichi River would identify smolts that originated in the Southwest Miramichi River. Presence of N. rutili in smolts collected in the Main Southwest Miramichi River would identify smolts of Bartholomew River origin.

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 563-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean C Mitchell ◽  
Richard A Cunjak

Stream discharge has long been associated with abundance of returning adult spawning salmonids to streams and may also affect body size distribution of adult salmon as low flows interfere with returns of larger-bodied fish. We examined these relationships of abundance and body size within Catamaran Brook, a third-order tributary to the Miramichi River system of New Brunswick, Canada, to investigate the causes of a declining trend in annual returns of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) to this stream. Regression models of adult abundance, proportion of the run as grilse, and body size of returning adults as functions of maximum daily stream discharge during the period of upstream spawner migration were constructed. Adult abundance shows a logarithmic relationship with stream discharge and provides good predictive ability, while appearing to not be significantly related to adult abundance in the larger Miramichi system. The proportion as grilse in the run and female body size are also logarithmically related to stream discharge, with low flow years being very influential in the regressions. These relationships of Atlantic salmon population abundance and body size characteristics have implications with respect to stock integrity and production of the following generation.


1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 1453-1461 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Verspoor ◽  
L. J. Cole

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) from Little Gull Lake on the Gander River system of central Newfoundland were found to be electrophoretically polymorphic at 5 of 20 protein loci screened. Four of the polymorphic loci were structural and one was regulatory. Major heterozygote deficiencies relative to Castle–Hardy–Weinberg expectations were detected at the two most polymorphic loci, Aat-3 and Mdh-3,4, and significant nonrandom associations between genotypes at these loci and the other polymorphic loci, Sdh-1, Me-2, and Pgm1-t, were also found. The heterozygote deficiencies and the nonrandom genotype associations were attributable to the admixture of genetically distinct gene pools of resident and anadromous salmon in the lake. This is the first documented case of coexistence of reproductively separated populations of Atlantic salmon of the two life history types, and shows that the sympatric occurrence of the two forms can represent between-population variation.


1969 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 759-761 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. McKenzie ◽  
U. Paim

The plasma proteins of 51 juvenile Atlantic salmon were examined by vertical acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Eight distinct phenotypes were found from specimens originating from a single river system in New Brunswick. The potential use of these polymorphisms for identifying populations is discussed.


1969 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 2535-2537 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. C. Pippy

Bacterial kidney disease was presumptively identified in each of 25 hatchery-reared juvenile salmon (Salmo salar) but in only 2 of 235 wild juveniles in the Margaree River system. Apparently spread of disease from the hatchery to wild salmon in the river is very gradual.


1988 ◽  
Vol 45 (8) ◽  
pp. 1330-1339 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Blouw ◽  
S. D. Saxon ◽  
E. M. P. Chadwick

The assumption is generally made in stock identification studies that variation within stocks is not confounded with variation among them. To evaluate whether this assumption is tenable we test the null hypothesis of temporal stability in five key meristic traits of a single stock of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). We used smolts collected over a 10-yr period in the downstream migrations from one small river system. Individuals were tagged when captured and preserved, so we can estimate variability within, as well as among, runs. The meristic traits are remarkably homogenous within runs and cohorts. However, the null hypothesis of stability over time among runs and cohorts is strongly rejected for each trait. We conclude that temporal variation is both extensive and persistent. There is limited covariation among the traits, but they are largely independent of scores of environmental variables and of variation in the biological attributes of the stock. Because among-group variability is meaningful only in context of within-group variation, and because the within-group variation is large, our results have serious implications for sampling design in stock identification studies.


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