scholarly journals Response of the Sea Louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis Infestation Levels on Juvenile Wild Pink, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, and Chum, O. keta, Salmon to Arrival of Parasitized Wild Adult Pink Salmon

2006 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 199
Author(s):  
Alexandra Morton ◽  
Rob Williams

Recent recurring infestations of Sea Lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, on juvenile Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) and subsequent annual declines of these stocks have made it imperative to identify the source of Sea Lice. While several studies now identify farm salmon populations as sources of Sea Louse larvae, it is unclear to what extent wild salmonid hosts also contribute Sea Lice. We measured Sea Louse numbers on adult Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) migrating inshore. We also measured Sea Louse numbers on wild juvenile Pink and Chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) migrating to sea before the adults returned, and as the two age cohorts mingled. Adult Pink Salmon carried an average of 9.89 (SE 0.90) gravid lice per fish, and thus were capable of infecting the adjacent juveniles. Salinity and temperature remained favourable to Sea Louse reproduction throughout the study. However, all accepted measures of Sea Louse infestation failed to show significant increase on the juvenile salmon, either in overall abundance of Sea Lice or of the initial infective-stage juvenile lice, while the adult wild salmon were present in the study area. This study suggests that even during periods of peak interaction, wild adult salmon are not the primary source of the recent and unprecedented infestations of Sea Lice on juvenile Pacific Pink and Chum salmon in the inshore waters of British Columbia.

2010 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 144-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Morton ◽  
Rick Routledge ◽  
Amy McConnell ◽  
Martin Krkošek

Abstract Morton, A., Routledge, R., McConnell, A., and Krkošek, M. 2011. Sea lice dispersion and salmon survival in relation to salmon farm activity in the Broughton Archipelago. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 144–156. The risk of salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) transmission to wild juvenile Pacific salmon has spurred management change to reduce lice on salmon farms. We studied the abundance of planktonic lice preceding the juvenile salmon outmigration as well as the abundance of lice on juvenile pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and chum (Oncorhynchus keta) salmon in two distinct migration routes, one containing only fallow farms and the other active farms that applied a parasiticide. Results indicate that fallowing reduces the abundance and flattens the spatial distribution of lice relative to that expected in areas without farms. Active farms remained the primary source of lice, but transmission was reduced 100-fold relative to previous epizootics in the study area. On the migration route containing active farms, ∼50% of the juvenile salmon showed evidence of louse damage to surface tissues and the estimated direct louse-induced mortality was <10%, not including indirect effects of infection on predation risk or competition. The survival of the pink salmon cohort was not statistically different from a reference region without salmon farms. Although repeated use of a single parasiticide can lead to resistance, reducing louse transmission from farmed salmon may help conserve some wild Pacific salmon populations.


2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 434-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Suzuki ◽  
R. Murata ◽  
K. Sadamasu ◽  
J. Araki

AbstractWe investigated the risk of diphyllobothriasis from ingestion of wild Pacific salmon in Japan by surveying Diphyllobothrium plerocercoids in 182 salmon samples obtained from Japan. The plerocercoids were not detected in chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) (0/26), called Akizake in Japan, caught between September and November. However, the detection rate of plerocercoids in chum salmon, called Tokishirazu in Japan, caught between early April and June, was 51.1% (24/47) with an average of two plerocercoid larvae per fish. The detection rates of cherry salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) and pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) were 12.2% (10/82) and 18.5% (5/27), respectively, and the average number of plerocercoids per fish was 0.45 (37 larvae/82 fishes) and 0.22 larvae (6 larvae/27 fishes), respectively. Plerocercoids isolated from O. keta and O. masou were identified as Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense on the basis of molecular analysis of the cox1 and nad3 genes. Moreover, four tapeworms (three from O. keta and one from O. masou) were obtained by infecting golden hamsters with plerocercoids. The morphological features of these tapeworms were similar to those of D. nihonkaiense isolated from humans. Therefore, we think that O. keta and not O. masou is the most important source of plerocercoid infections in Japan.


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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (12) ◽  
pp. 1960-1968
Author(s):  
Cole B. Brookson ◽  
Martin Krkošek ◽  
Brian P.V. Hunt ◽  
Brett T. Johnson ◽  
Luke A. Rogers ◽  
...  

Fraser River Pacific salmon have declined in recent decades, possibly from parasitism by sea lice (Caligus clemensi and Lepeophtheirus salmonis). We describe the abundance of both louse species infesting co-migrating juvenile pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), chum (Oncorhynchus keta), and sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka) salmon over 5 years in the Discovery Islands and Johnstone Strait, British Columbia. The generalist louse, C. clemensi, was 5, 7, and 39 times more abundant than the salmonid specialist, L. salmonis, on pink, chum, and sockeye salmon, respectively. Caligus clemensi abundance was higher on pink salmon (0.45, 95% CI: 0.38–0.55) and sockeye (0.39, 95% CI: 0.33–0.47) than on chum salmon. Lepeophtheirus salmonis abundance was highest on pink salmon (0.09, 95% CI = 0.06–0.15). Caligus clemensi had higher abundances in Johnstone Strait than in the Discovery Islands. These results suggest differences in host specialization and transmission dynamics between louse species. Because both lice infest farmed salmon, but only C. clemensi infests Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii), conservation science and management regarding lice and Fraser River salmon should further consider C. clemensi and transmission from farmed salmon and wild herring.


2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 521-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noel R. Swain ◽  
Morgan D. Hocking ◽  
Jennifer N. Harding ◽  
John D. Reynolds

Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) can subsidize freshwater food webs with marine-derived nutrients from their eggs, juveniles, and carcasses. However, trophic interactions between spawning salmon and freshwater fish across natural gradients in salmon subsidies remain unclear. We tested how salmon affected the diets and condition of two dominant freshwater consumers — prickly and coastrange sculpins (Cottus asper and Cottus aleuticus, respectively) — across a wide gradient of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) biomass from 33 streams in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia, Canada. Sculpin diets shifted from invertebrates and juvenile salmonids to salmon eggs when salmon arrived in autumn, with salmon-derived nutrient contributions to diets and sculpin condition increasing with increasing biomass of spawning salmon among streams. Season, habitat, and individual sculpin body size and species also mediated the effects of salmon on sculpin diet as inferred from their carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures. This study shows the timing and pathways by which spawning salmon influence the diets and condition of freshwater consumers, and some of the individual and environmental factors that can regulate uptake of salmon nutrients in streams, thus informing ecosystem-based management.


2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (7) ◽  
pp. 1077-1087 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan J. Debertin ◽  
James R. Irvine ◽  
Carrie A. Holt ◽  
Gladys Oka ◽  
Marc Trudel

Thirty-nine years of scale growth measurements from Big Qualicum River chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) in southern British Columbia demonstrated that competition and climate variation affect marine growth and age-at-maturity. A longitudinal study design that accounted for correlation among individuals revealed growth at all ages was reduced when the biomass of North American chum, sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka), and pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) was high. When North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO) was positive, indicating increased primary productivity, predicted growth increased. Climate variation influenced competition effects. For instance, density-dependent competition effects increased when NPGO became more positive and Pacific Decadal Oscillation became more negative (indicating cool conditions), causing the greatest range in predicted scale size. Chum salmon are likely to exhibit continued reduction in growth at age due to increased ocean temperatures driven by climate change and high aggregate salmon biomass that includes hatchery releases. If evidence of biomass and climate effects presented here are common among Pacific salmon populations, reduction of hatchery releases should be considered.


2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (10) ◽  
pp. 1469-1476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle C. Nelson ◽  
Morgan D. Hocking ◽  
Jennifer N. Harding ◽  
Joel M.S. Harding ◽  
John D. Reynolds

Recognizing the mechanisms by which environmental conditions drive population dynamics can greatly benefit conservation and management. For example, reductions in densities of spawning Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) have received considerable attention, but the role of habitat characteristics on population sizes of breeding salmon is not fully understood. We studied relationships between habitat characteristics and stream population densities of spawning chum (Oncorhynchus keta) and pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) salmon in 44 streams in the Great Bear Rainforest of coastal British Columbia, Canada, with individual streams as the unit of comparison. Our results indicate that a small number of habitat characteristics are important in predicting population density of spawning chum and pink salmon in streams, namely pH for chum salmon and riparian slope and large wood volume for pink salmon. This is the largest multivariable comparison to examine habitat–population relationships in adult spawning salmon and may provide useful quantitative emphasis in guiding management.


2004 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Morton ◽  
Richard Routledge ◽  
Corey Peet ◽  
Aleria Ladwig

This study compared sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) infestation rates on juvenile pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and chum (Oncorhynchus keta) salmon in five nearshore areas of the British Columbia coast selected on the basis of proximity to salmon farms. A 10-week study in the Broughton Archipelago found sea lice were 8.8 times more abundant on wild fish near farms holding adult salmon and 5.0 times more abundant on wild fish near farms holding smolts than in areas distant from salmon farms. We found that 90% of juvenile pink and chum salmon sampled near salmon farms in the Broughton Archipelago were infected with more than 1.6 lice·(g host mass)–1, a proposed lethal limit when the lice reach mobile stages. Sea lice abundance was near zero in all areas without salmon farms. Salinity and temperature differences could not account for the higher infestation rates near the fish farms. The most immature life stages dominated the lice population throughout the study, suggesting the source of lice was a stationary, local salmonid population. No such wild population could be identified. The evidence from this control–impact study points to a relationship between salmon farms and sea lice on adjacent, wild, juvenile salmon.


2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (12) ◽  
pp. 2045-2051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Mages ◽  
Lawrence M. Dill

The swimming endurance of naturally and experimentally infected juvenile pink salmon ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha ) was measured to determine the effects of sea lice ( Lepeophtheirus salmonis ). Salmon naturally infected with adult male and preadult stage lice did not appear to have a reduced swim performance, but when experimentally infected with adult female lice, juvenile salmon showed a reduced ability to swim compared with uninfected control fish, and this effect increased with lice load. A reduced swimming endurance is not only likely to influence predation risk for salmon, but may have other ecological implications, such as slower seaward migration.


1984 ◽  
Vol 41 (10) ◽  
pp. 1446-1453 ◽  
Author(s):  
William W. Smoker

Different stock dynamics result from genetic and nongenetic mechanisms of determination of maturation age of chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) in a model of interacting pink (O. gorbuscha) and chum salmon stocks. When the model is disturbed from equilibrium by low survival in one pink salmon line, the genetic mechanism (high heritability of maturation age) leads to biennial cycles of numbers of even-aged chums and of numbers of pinks, similar to observed cycles. The nongenetic mechanism (zero heritability of maturation age) results in a new equlibrium at which neither stock cycles. When one pink salmon line is completely removed the genetic mechanism leads to biennial cycles of abundance of even-aged chums; the nongenetic mechanism does not lead to such cycles. These effects persist at intermediate values of heritability of maturation age and in spite of stochastic variability. The model is an adaptation of the Ricker curve to two interacting stocks, the recruitment for each depending on the density of both.


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