Context-dependent diel behavior of upstream-migrating anadromous fishes

Abstract

Variability is a hallmark of animal behavior and the degree of variability may fluctuate in response to environmental or biological gradients. For example, diel activity patterns during reproductive migrations often differ from those in non-breeding habitats, reflecting trade-offs among efficient route selection, reproductive phenology, and risk avoidance. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that diel movements of anadromous fishes differ among freshwater migration habitats. We analyzed diel movement data from ~13 000 radio-, PIT-, and acoustic-tagged adult fishes from five Columbia River species: Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha; sockeye salmon, O. nerka; steelhead, O. mykiss; Pacific lamprey, Entosphenus tridentatus; and American shad, Alosa sapidissima. All five species were active during most of the diel cycle in low-gradient, less hydraulically complex reservoir and riverine habitats. Movement shifted to predominantly diurnal (salmonids and American shad) or nocturnal (Pacific lamprey) at hydroelectric dam fishways where hydraulic complexity and predator density were high. Results suggest that context-dependent behaviors are common during fish migrations, and that diel activity patterns vary with the degree of effort or predation risk required for movement.