Observations on the effect of visual and olfactory ablation on the swimming behavior of migrating adult chum salmon,Oncorhynchus keta

Abstract

The behavior of chum slamon,Oncorhynchus keta, was studied using ultrasonic telemetry in the waters off the Okhotsk coast of Hokkaido from 1979 to 1981. Thirty-six adult fish were outfitted with a 50 KHz ultrasonic transmitter provided with either a depth sensor, depth/illumination sensors, or depth/ temperature sensors. Twenty-one of the experimental fish were used as controls and left intact. Of the remaining fish, six had their sight destroyed, seven had their olfactory nerves severed or their nares filled with wax, one had both senses destroyed, and one had a sham operation, but had only a shallow transverse cut made in the skin over the olfactory nerves. Control fish and the fish with the sham operation initially swam in a horizontal zigzag pattern while fish with an obliterated sense swam in a similar pattern but to a reduced extent. The horizontal and vertical speeds of the intact fish were faster than those of the fish with a destroyed sense. Amplitude of vertical movements of the intact fish stretched from surface to bottom, while fish with destroyed vision tended towards midwater. Fish without an olfactory sense tended to be at the surface or near the bottom. Regular vertical movement would be effective in refreshing olfactory epithelia which might become acclimated when exposed to one odor. The vertical movements can be found in the horizontal zigzag movements in coastal and near shore migrations, as well as in the stream phase of homing. The zigzag movements, both horizontal and vertical, allow the fish to sense the water masses and locate the correct tributary.