Downstream movements of young-of-the-year fishes in Catamaran Brook and the Little Southwest Miramichi River, New Brunswick

Abstract

Downstream movements of young-of-the-year fish in Catamaran Brook and the Little Southwest Miramichi River, New Brunswick, Canada were monitored by drift sampling during June and July of 1994, 1995 and 1996. Atlantic salmon Salmo salar, white sucker Catostomus commersoni, Cyprinidae, and sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus, were the most commonly captured taxa. All taxa moved downstream almost exclusively at night. Movement was greatest near midnight then declined towards dawn. Drift abundances peaked in mid-June for Atlantic salmon, late June for white sucker, and early July for Cyprinidae. Dates of peak movement were earlier in the Little Southwest Miramichi River than in Catamaran Brook for all taxa. Salmon fry captured in drift samplers were shorter than salmon fry captured by electrofishing near the sampling sites. Salmon fry captured in Catamaran Brook drift samplers were heavier at length than those captured in Little Southwest Miramichi River drift samplers. Results suggest that Catamaran Brook provides relatively better habitat for Atlantic salmon fry growth and relatively poorer habitat for larval white sucker growth than the Little Southwest Miramichi River.