Sea Growth and Time of Migration of Anadromous Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) from the Vardnes River, in Northern Norway

1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 955-960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ole Kristian Berg ◽  
Magnus Berg
Keyword(s):  
Salmo Trutta ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Early Period ◽  
Growth Period ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Daily Growth ◽  
Sea Temperature ◽  
Northern Norway ◽  
Sea Trout ◽  
Seaward Migration

The annual seaward migration of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) from the Vardnes River, northern Norway usually takes place early in summer, between the end of May and the beginning of June. A period of very fast growth was recorded immediately following the entry of char into the sea. Mean daily growth rates of both small and large char decreased with increasing length of time spent at sea, particularly after the end of June. Almost no further increase in length took place in the sea after the beginning of July. Sea temperature was low during this early growth period, rising to above 10 °C during the period when sea char growth declined. Char appeared to be especially well adapted to low temperatures, since their growth rate during this early period was from two to four times faster than that recorded for sympatric sea trout (Salmo trutta). The results support the hypothesis that sea temperature may be one of the factors that control the southern distribution of anadromous Arctic char.

Influence of Parr Growth, Lake Morphology, and Freshwater Parasites on the Degree of Anadromy in Different Populations of Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) in Northern Norway

1994 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 1229-1246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Knut Kristoffersen ◽  
Morten Halvorsen ◽  
Lisbeth Jørgensen
Keyword(s):  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Relative Size ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Relative Volume ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Northern Norway ◽  
Length Relationship ◽  
Lake Morphology ◽  
Different Populations ◽  
Profundal Zone

Anadromy of nine lake populations of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) in northern Norway was scored on the following criteria: prevalence of marine parasites, fish size, and size at maturity. In general, anadromy dominated in shallow lakes and residency dominated in deep lakes. The anadromy scores of the populations were significantly higher in lakes without a profundal zone compared with lakes with a profundal zone. There was also a significant negative correlation between the relative volume of the profundal zone (RPV) and the degree of anadromy and between RPV and mean parr length at ages 2+ and 3+. However, differences in parr growth could not explain all the observed variation in anadromy, and the correlation between mean parr length at ages 2+ and 3+ and the degree of anadromy in the different populations was not significant. In addition to the effect on parr growth, lake morphology seemed to influence the degree of anadromy through the relative size of different habitats, which in turn affects the number of available niches. The parr weight/length relationship and infection with the freshwater parasites Phyllodistomum umblae and Diphyllobothrium spp. did not affect the degree of anadromy.

Overwinter thermal habitat use in lakes by anadromous Arctic char

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (12) ◽  
pp. 2343-2353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingeborg M. Mulder ◽  
Corey J. Morris ◽  
J. Brian Dempson ◽  
Ian A. Fleming ◽  
Michael Power
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Thermal Habitat ◽  
Metabolic Costs ◽  
Seaward Migration

Anadromous Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) migrate back to fresh water in late summer to spawn and (or) overwinter. Upon freshwater entry, feeding is reduced or absent, and movement activity is restricted. While the physiological responses to low temperatures (e.g., growth, metabolism) are understood, specifics of the use of thermal habitat for overwintering remains poorly characterized. This study used acoustic and archival telemetry data from two lakes in southern Labrador, Canada, to study thermal habitat use during the ice-covered period. Results showed that lake-dwelling anadromous Arctic char predominantly occupied a narrow range of temperatures (0.5–2 °C) and used cooler temperatures available within the middle and upper water column. Use of the selected temperatures is likely a strategy that lowers metabolic costs and minimizes energy expenditure, preserving stored lipids for overwinter survival and the energetic costs of preparation for seaward migration. As Arctic char are visual feeders, use of the upper water column is also thought to aid foraging efficiency by increasing the likelihood of prey capture.

Temperature Requirements in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar), Brown Trout (Salmo trutta), and Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) from Hatching to Initial Feeding Compared with Geographic Distribution

1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 786-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arne J. Jensen ◽  
Bjørn O. Johnsen ◽  
Laila Saksgård
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Salmo Salar ◽  
Geographic Distribution ◽  
Brown Trout ◽  
Salmo Trutta ◽  
Development Time ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar ◽  
Brown Trout Salmo Trutta

Development time at different temperatures from hatching to 50% feeding was studied in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) alevins. Live animals were used as food. In both species the development time decreased with increasing temperature, and these relationships were described by power curves. The results were compared with similar data for Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus). At temperatures above about 8 °C, the development time to 50% feeding was the same for all three species. However, at lower temperatures Atlantic salmon alevins needed more time to reach the stage of initial feeding than did Arctic char. Brown trout were intermediate. These results are in accordance with the known optimum temperature ranges for the three species and their geographic distribution.

Contrasting patterns of territoriality and foraging mode in two stream-dwelling salmonids, Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) and brown trout (Salmo trutta)

2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (12) ◽  
pp. 2090-2100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guðmundur Smári Gunnarsson ◽  
Stefán Óli Steingrímsson
Keyword(s):  
Brown Trout ◽  
Salmo Trutta ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Territory Size ◽  
Territorial Behaviour ◽  
Foraging Mode ◽  
Brown Trout Salmo Trutta

Territoriality and foraging behaviour play major roles in determining the abundance and distribution of mobile animals. To date, territorial behaviour of young-of-the-year (YOY) salmonids is typically described for sit-and-wait individuals that defend territories from one foraging station, but rarely for more mobile fish. We examined the territorial behaviour and foraging mode of 31 YOY Arctic char ( Salvelinus alpinus ) and 30 YOY brown trout ( Salmo trutta ) in relation to ecological factors in six rivers in northern Iceland. Arctic char used larger territories than brown trout, corresponding with high and low mobility prior to attacking prey, respectively. Within species, more mobile fish also used larger territories. Territory size increased with body size and declined with increased food abundance as predicted, but surprisingly increased with rising intruder pressure. Finally, Arctic char territories overlapped more and were less exclusively defended than brown trout territories. This study shows that territories of mobile individuals may not always pertain to the same rules as single central-place territories and highlights that territorial behaviour, and its role in population regulation, may vary between salmonid species.

Between-watershed movements of two anadromous salmonids in the Arctic

2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 855-863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arne Johan Jensen ◽  
Ola Håvard Diserud ◽  
Bengt Finstad ◽  
Peder Fiske ◽  
Audun Håvard Rikardsen
Keyword(s):  
Brown Trout ◽  
Salmo Trutta ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Brown Trout Salmo Trutta

A long-term study in the River Halselva in the Arctic region of Norway demonstrated that movements between watersheds were considerably higher in anadromous brown trout (Salmo trutta) than anadromous Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus). Fourteen smolt year classes of both species were captured in a fish trap, individually tagged, and thereafter registered each time they passed the trap during their migration between the sea and fresh water every summer. Annual mean survival (i.e., recovery rate) after the first entry to sea as smolts was estimated as 31.4% in Arctic char and 26.6% in brown trout. Most surviving Arctic char returned to the River Halselva to overwinter after the same summer that they migrated to sea as smolts. However, several brown trout overwintered one to four times in other watersheds, mainly the considerably larger River Altaelva, before most eventually returned to the River Halselva upon maturation. The substantial difference in movement rate between watersheds between Arctic char (2.2%) and brown trout (39.6%) is expected to be a consequence of local geographic conditions combined with different habitat preferences of the two species.

Experimental assessment of the bioenergetic and behavioural differences between two morphologically distinct populations of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus)

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 580-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Guénard ◽  
Daniel Boisclair ◽  
Ola Ugedal ◽  
Torbjørn Forseth ◽  
Bror Jonsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Consumption ◽  
Salmo Trutta ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Fish Community Structure ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽  
Functional Differences ◽  
Environment Experiment

A common environment experiment was conducted to assess the magnitude of the difference in growth, consumption, activity rate, and spatial and temporal patterns of habitat use between morphologically different populations of Arctic char ( Salvelinus alpinus ) originating from two Norwegian lakes. These two lakes contrasted sharply in terms of surface area, depth, elevation, length of the winter period, and fish community structure (presence–absence of brown trout, Salmo trutta ). The experimental framework encompassed four littoral enclosures (average volume, 146 m3) stocked with char from either of the two populations with duplicated treatments. Char morphology was quantified with numerical image analysis, food consumption was estimated using caesium analysis (133Cs), and activity cost and patterns were determined using video cameras. Char populations were morphologically distinct and reacted differently in growth (1.9-fold difference between populations), food consumption (3-fold difference), and spatial activity patterns (20-fold difference) to the conditions prevailing in the enclosures. The results highlight that functional differences between morphologically distinct char may drive important differences in their bioenergetic and behavioural responses when exposed to similar environmental conditions. Such functional differences should be incorporated when developing habitat or trophic cascade models.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document