Stream-type Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha Research Articles

Reproductive energy expenditure and changes in body morphology for a population of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha with a long distance migration.

Energetic demands of a long freshwater migration, extended holding period, gamete development and spawning were evaluated for a population of stream-type Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. Female and male somatic mass decreased by 24 and 21%, respectively, during migration and by an additional 18 and 12% during holding. Between freshwater entry and death after spawning, females allocated 14% of initial somatic energy towards gonad development and 78% for metabolism (46, 25 and 7% during migration, holding and spawning, respectively). Males used only 2% of initial somatic energy for gonad development and 80% on metabolic costs, as well as an increase in snout length (41, 28 and 11% during migration, holding and spawning, respectively). Individually marked O. tshawytscha took between 27 and 53 days to migrate 920 km. Those with slower travel times through the dammed section of the migration corridor arrived at spawning grounds with less muscle energy than faster migrants. Although energy depletion did not appear to be the proximate cause of death in most pre-spawn mortalities, average final post-spawning somatic energy densities were low at 3·6 kJ g-1 in females and 4·1 kJ g-1 in males, consistent with the concept of a minimum energy threshold required to sustain life in semelparous salmonids.

Incorporating Uncertainty into Area-under-the-Curve and Peak Count Salmon Escapement Estimation

Abstract Uncertainty can be incorporated into area-under-the-curve (AUC) and peak count estimates of salmon escapement by conducting replicate fish counts and developing independent escapement estimates over several years. We describe a bootstrap procedure that follows the trapezoidal AUC method and incorporates the uncertainty associated with fish counts, the shape of the spawner curve, observer efficiency, and residence time. However, the procedure does not incorporate all sources of uncertainty or address the problems posed by sparse surveys or nonzero first or last counts. For the peak count method, the procedure was modified to include the uncertainty from fish counts, observer efficiency, the expansion factor, and the timing of scheduled flights with respect to peak spawning activity. Data from spring-run, stream-type chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in the Nicola River, British Columbia, were used to demonstrate the procedures' applications. Replicate aerial spawner counts were similar and r...

Growth and Survival of Alaska Stream-Type Chinook Salmon Cultured in Estuarine Net-Pens or Freshwater Raceways

Abstract The overwinter survival and growth and the subsequent marine survival of stream-type chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha were compared between fish cultured in marine net-pens and their siblings cultured in freshwater. The net-pens were suspended in a stratified estuary with a low-salinity lens; the lens provided osmotic relief to the fish, and its depth and salinity varied seasonally. The median overwinter survival for chinook salmon from six brood years was 89.1% for the net-pen groups, significantly (P = 0.009) less than the median survival of 99.0% in freshwater. The median overwinter growth rate was 0.5% of body weight/d for the net-pen groups, significantly (P = 0.013) higher than the median growth rate of 0.2% for freshwater groups. The median marine survival of smolts from net-pen and freshwater groups was similar, 5.6% and 5.3%, respectively. These results demonstrate that juvenile stream-type chinook salmon can be cultured successfully over winter from the subyearling to smolt stage...