Tributary Homing of Sockeye Salmon at Brooks and Karluk Lakes, Alaska

Abstract

The degree of preference of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) for spawning in specific tributaries to Brooks and Karluk Lakes, Alaska, was studied in 1960 and 1961. Adult sockeye salmon begin to congregate around stream mouths soon after entering these lakes. At Brooks Lake, groups of fish were seined from various stream mouths and marked with distinctive tag color combinations. One group of tagged fish from each seine haul was released back into the original donor congregation as a control, and one or more groups were transported and released into congregations around other tributary mouths. Strength of tributary preference was determined by comparing the number of fish from each group distributed on the various spawning grounds. Eighty-three per cent of the 958 fish tagged were recovered at weirs and on stream and lake surveys. Distribution to spawning areas of sockeye salmon in control and transported groups was virtually identical. The study at Brooks Lake was followed by a study at Karluk Lake to explore further the strength of tributary preference. Very few sockeye salmon experimentally prevented from entering their preferred tributary chose an alternative spawning area. Most continued to attempt to enter their blocked tributary until death. A final study at Karluk Lake confirmed the fact that sockeye salmon entering the lake were predisposed to spawn in a particular tributary and could not be conditioned to enter an alternative tributary. We conclude that sockeye salmon are indeed homing to particular tributaries in these small lakes. The biological and management implications of these findings are discussed.