Life History of Juvenile Ocean-type Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Situk River, Alaska

Abstract

Distribution, abundance, habitat preference, migration and residence timing, seawater tolerance, and size were determined for juvenile ocean-type (age 0) chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Situk River, Alaska. Chinook primarily occupied main-stem habitats (channel edges in spring, pools and willow edges in summer). Peak chinook densities in the upper and lower main stem were 96 and 76 fish/100 m2, respectively. Chinook migrated downstream in two phases: a spring dispersal of emergent fry and a summer migration. Chinook marked in the upper river in late June and early July were recaptured 20 km downstream in the lower river in late July. Marked chinook resided in the lower river up to 34 d. Mean fork length of chinook in the lower river increased from 40 mm in May to 80 mm in early August. By late August, chinook had emigrated from the lower river at a size of approximately 80 mm. Fish this size were seawater tolerant and had the physical appearance of smolts. Ocean-type chinook in the Situk River are unique because in most Alaskan streams, chinook are stream-type (rear in freshwater at least 1 yr).