Communications: Length–Weight Relationship of Hatchery-Reared Atlantic Salmon

Abstract

Abstract Three lots of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) from two fish hatcheries were sampled to yield an overall length-weight relationship of W = 0.0000109126TL2.99163; W is weight in grams and TL is total length in millimeters. The average metric condition factor, K = 105 2.99163, was 0.986; the average English condition factor, C = w/tl3 (w is pounds; tl is total length in inches), was 0.0003563. Differences in condition factor occurred between hatcheries, between fish lots, and over time. Just before they were stocked into streams, smolt-length fish had their lowest condition factors. Fish lengths at stocking calculated from a standard condition factor typically were less than lengths calculated from a seasonally adjusted condition factor. Because Atlantic salmon are operationally defined as smolts at a particular minimum length, use of the standard condition factor to calculate size at release can lead to underestimates of the number of smolts stocked and inflated estimates of subsequent adult return r...