Spawning Behavior and Early Life History of Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) in the Great Lakes

1982 ◽  
Vol 39 (10) ◽  
pp. 1353-1360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-hwa Kwain
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Lake Superior ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Early Life History ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Spawning Behavior ◽  
Preferred Temperature ◽  
Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha

Pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) from a single introduction to Lake Superior in 1956 have reproduced naturally and expanded into all the Great Lakes. Pink salmon feed at or near the surface as they approach spawning streams and some can still be found with food in the stomach on the spawning bed. Spawning behavior of these freshwater pink salmon is similar to that of marine stocks. Fecundity was 1060 ± 229 (24) per fish and total weight averaged 0.68 kg. Total mortality of embryos to 50% hatch ranged from 67 to 87% at five test temperatures (7, 9, 11, 13, 15 °C); 15 °C is considered to be the upper limit for freshwater pink salmon incubation. Juveniles moved downstream only at night and all juveniles usually took a month to complete this movement. Mean preferred temperature for pink salmon up to 36 wk old was 10 °C. Substantial numbers of pink salmon progeny of the 1975 year-class, which entered the Michipicoten River on Lake Superior to spawn in 1977 survived to, and matured at, each age from II to IV yr in a freshwater laboratory environment.Key words: pink salmon, feeding, spawning behavior, fecundity, incubation, emigration, preferred temperature, early life history, age IV, late maturation

Epizootics of thyroid hyperplasia in Lake Superior and Lake Erie pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha (Walbaum))

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (12) ◽  
pp. 2676-2687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas B. Noltie ◽  
John F. Leatherland ◽  
Miles H. A. Keenleyside
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Lake Superior ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Thyroid Hyperplasia

All Lake Superior and Lake Erie pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha (Walbaum)) collected exhibited thyroid hyperplasia. Samples from British Columbia, however, were unaffected. In fish from Lake Superior, lesion sizes increased through a graded series and were correlated with increased body size. In contrast, almost all Lake Erie fish exhibited extreme hyperplasia regardless of body size. Pink salmon lesion histopathology differed markedly from that shown by Great Lakes coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum)) and chinook (Oncorhynchus ishawytscha (Walbaum)) salmon. Among Great Lakes populations, males and females were equally afflicted. Greater proportions of females entered their spawning streams with immature gonads in Lake Erie, where fish exhibited larger lesions. Indications are that males showed poorer secondary sexual character development there as well. Gonad weights in Lake Erie males were proportionally smaller than in Lake Superior males, and liver weights in Lake Superior fish were smaller than in British Columbia specimens. Thyroid hormone levels and lesion sizes were negatively correlated, providing evidence of hypothyroidism. These findings warn of potential water quality problems in Lake Superior, and suggest a useful means of assessing the goitrogenic potential of Great Lakes systems. Despite its negative effects, however, thyroid hyperplasia has not prevented the increase of pink salmon numbers and distribution in the Great Lakes.

Incidence and Effects of Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) Parasitism on Breeding Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) from the Carp River, Eastern Lake Superior

1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (9) ◽  
pp. 1562-1567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas B. Noltie
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Lake Superior ◽  
Petromyzon Marinus ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Reproductive Potential ◽  
Sea Lamprey ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha

The potentially important effect of Great Lakes pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) numbers on the population dynamics of parasitic sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) has thus far remained unassessed. This study reveals that despite their small size, pink salmon from the Carp River, eastern Lake Superior, sustain parasitism at rates and in body locations similar to other Great Lakes salmonids. In general, the incidence of sea lamprey parasitism increased with salmon length. Differences in marking rates between male and female salmon were attributable to their dimorphism in size: female pink salmon grew slower than males and bore more fresh wounds than males when sampled. Lamprey attacked fish of similar sizes in 1983 and 1984, but smaller ones in 1985. This parasitism had a negative impact on host breeding potential: marked fish were in poorer condition than unmarked ones. Marked males invested less biomass in gonad than did unmarked males, and wounded males occupied the spawning grounds for less time, thus reducing their reproductive potential. These results indicate that the population dynamics of both species may be determined in part by their mutual interaction.

First Evidence for Even-Year Spawning Pink Salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, in Lake Superior

1978 ◽  
Vol 35 (10) ◽  
pp. 1373-1376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-hwa Kwain ◽  
J. A. Chappel
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Lake Superior ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha

Nine even-year spawning pink salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, were taken in Steel River, Lake Superior, Ontario, in 1976. The possible origin of these fish was from unknown plantings or spawning of 3-yr-old, odd-year spawning pink salmon. Key words: Great Lakes, distribution, salmon maturation, spawning age, introduced salmon

Migratory dynamics and characteristics of breeding pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) from the Carp River, eastern Lake Superior

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 684-693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas B. Noltie
Keyword(s):  
Lake Superior ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Gonad Maturation ◽  
Breeding Ecology ◽  
Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Light Levels ◽  
Breeding Migration ◽  
Fish Remains

The pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) inhabiting the Great Lakes are unique to their species, the completion of their life cycles occurring entirely in fresh water. This report describes the breeding migration and characteristics of spawners from the Carp River, an eastern Lake Superior tributary 70 km north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Movement into the stream began at dusk each evening in 1983, seemingly in response to decreasing light levels. Nightly catch numbers varied through the 1983, 1984, and 1985 runs with date, river discharge, wind-generated turbulence, and water temperatures, although the influence of these factors differed with sex and season. Spawners varied in size through the runs each year but not in the same fashion. Spawner size and condition varied yearly in apparent response to prey abundance. Gonad maturation was complete on stream entry more often in males than in females, though this difference was less pronounced further upstream or after time spent in the river. Degree of secondary sexual character development, complete on stream entry in both sexes, differed in even- and odd-year spawners in relation to condition. The recovery rates of spawned-out males and females did not differ. Tagged fish wandered from the Carp River at a rate of at least 7%, many to spawn in adjacent streams. Despite between-year differences in some parameters, much of the breeding ecology of these fish remains comparable to that of anadromous pink salmon.

Fecundity of Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) from the Great Lakes and a Comparison with Ocean Salmon

1976 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 1150-1155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas M. Stauffer
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Early Life ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Coho Salmon ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Lake Superior ◽  
Oncorhynchus Kisutch ◽  
Early Life History ◽  
Freshwater Salmon

I measured fecundity of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) that matured in the Great Lakes to make comparisons with Pacific Ocean coho salmon and among groups of Great Lakes salmon. Numbers of eggs produced (1600–3500) by Great Lakes salmon were comparable to production (1500–3300) by Pacific salmon of similar size. Average egg diameters of Lake Michigan (7.1–7.4 mm) and Pacific salmon (6.1–7.4 mm) were also comparable but Lake Superior eggs were smaller (5.1–5.4 mm). Fecundity of second generation freshwater salmon which originated from Lake Michigan eggs was similar to that of the first generation which originated from Pacific eggs because the average numbers (2938–3243) and diameters (7.1–7.4 mm) of eggs produced were about the same. On the average, Lake Michigan salmon contained more (2938) and larger (7.1-mm diam) eggs than did Lake Superior salmon (2150 and 5.1-mm diam) of the same year-class and early life history.

Differences in breeding Lake Superior pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha (Walbaum)) associated with variation in thyroid hyperplasia

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (12) ◽  
pp. 2688-2694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas B. Noltie
Keyword(s):  
Lake Superior ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Lesion Size ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Post Spawning ◽  
Delayed Maturation ◽  
Thyroid Hyperplasia ◽  
Lesion Severity

Pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha (Walbaum)) from eastern Lake Superior exhibit various degrees of thyroid hyperplasia. A link between goitrogenesis and growth is suggested by the increased prevalence of large lesions among large fish of both sexes. Despite males being larger than females, however, lesion prevalence did not differ between the sexes. More large lesions occurred among late migrants, especially males, indicating a seasonal increase in hyperplasticity. Delayed stream entry occurred in overtly lesioned fish of both sexes, evidence of a possible inhibition of maturation. Males and females differed in condition (weight-at-length) with lesion severity. Females with overt lesions showed reduced secondary sexual character development, more so than males. The pre- and post-spawning testis characteristics of males generally did not differ with lesion size, although the testes of spawned-out males with large lesions did have higher water contents. In females, the reduced water content of eggs in severely lesioned individuals was evidence of delayed maturation. Enlarged livers occurred in badly lesioned females, but not in males. In neither sex did severely lesioned fish exhibit shorter breeding life-spans. In overview, this study demonstrates that a wide range of effects is associated with differences in the severity of thyroid hyperplasia exhibited by Lake Superior pink salmon, these also being mediated by apparent differences in physiology between the sexes.

Spawning success and early life history of longnose suckers in Great Lakes tributaries

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan S. Childress ◽  
Rebecca Papke ◽  
Peter B. McIntyre
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Early Life History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Longnose Suckers ◽  
Spawning Success
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