Do habitat measurements in the vicinity of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) parr matter?

Abstract

AbstractAtlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., parr habitat characterisation is usually performed by in situ measures of key environmental variables taken at the exact fish location if the fishing gear allows precise pinpointing of this location, or in large sampling sections covering a river reach or mesohabitat, often ignoring variability in the immediate vicinity around individual fish. These data may be critically important in the development and validation of habitat preference models. The influences of seven increasing distances of measures, the variation of the number of considered measures and the depth of velocity measurement (bottom or 0.6 of the depth) in the calculations of HSI (Habitat Suitability Index) from a multiple‐experts fuzzy model of Atlantic salmon parr habitat were tested. When a parr was present, six measures collected in a 50‐cm radius around the fish to provide an average measure as input data and velocity measured at 60% of the depth gave the highest HSI values. These results show some potential for the use of an intermediate study scale, between micro‐ and mesohabitat, and questions how fish habitat conditions are currently measured.