Comparative ecologies of domestic and naturalised rainbow trout in northern Lake Huron

Northern Lake Huron (Ontario, Canada) supports the largest concentration of freshwater salmonid cage culture farms in Canada and receives inputs of domestic‐strain rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) through escapement. We assessed the potential effects of these domestic fish on the naturalised rainbow trout of this ecosystem by comparing their respective ecologies. Mature adults were sampled from spawning tributaries, primarily in spring, and to a lesser extent in fall. Fish of domestic origin comprised ~80% of rainbow trout sampled from sites near cage culture facilities but <20% of rainbow trout sampled from more distant sites. Domestic adults in spawning condition (gametes free‐flowing) were present in the spawning tributaries in both spring and fall sampling seasons, whereas naturalised fish in spawning condition were only observed in the spring. Domestic adults were younger and smaller (in length), appeared to have shorter lifespan and had a higher male to female ratio compared with their naturalised counterparts. Growth rates (change in length with age) of naturalised and domestic females in the wild were similar, but domestic males grew more slowly than naturalised males. Domestic females also produced smaller eggs than naturalised females. Food web positions (inferred from δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) of domestic and naturalised fish were very similar but varied more strongly with body size in the former. Domestic‐strain rainbow trout of cage culture origin can survive, grow and attempt to spawn in northern Lake Huron and have the potential to compete for food, mates and spawning habitat with naturalised rainbow trout.     

Movement rules for juvenile steelhead: dynamic linking of movement behaviour to habitat and density

We incorporated explanatory factors including stream habitat type and fish density into individual‐based models with dynamic connections among adjacent habitat units to infer dispersal behaviour of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss in a Great Lakes watershed. We used mark–recapture data and an inverse modelling approach to estimate daily probability of steelhead moving out of a habitat unit, P(move), according to four competing models. The models used included (i) a null model where all fish had equal movement probability; (ii) a habitat‐dependent model where P(move) depended on the habitat type; (iii) a density‐dependent model of P(move); and (iv) a model where P(move) depended on both density and habitat type. The habitat‐dependent model provided the most parsimonious fit to the observed data according to Akaike's information criteria (AICc). In the null model, P(move) averaged 0.70, whereas P(move) averaged 0.75 in pools, 0.68 in riffles and 0.73 in runs in the habitat‐dependent model.     

Influence of river conditions during seaward migration and ocean conditions on survival rates of Snake River Chinook salmon and steelhead

Petrosky CE, Schaller HA. Influence of river conditions during seaward migration and ocean conditions on survival rates of Snake River Chinook salmon and steelhead.
Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010: 19: 520–536. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract – Improved understanding of the relative influence of ocean and freshwater factors on survival of at‐risk anadromous fish populations is critical to success of conservation and recovery efforts. Abundance and smolt to adult survival rates of Snake River Chinook salmon and steelhead decreased dramatically coincident with construction of hydropower dams in the 1970s. However, separating the influence of ocean and freshwater conditions is difficult because of possible confounding factors. We used long time‐series of smolt to adult survival rates for Chinook salmon and steelhead to estimate first year ocean survival rates. We constructed multiple regression models that explained the survival rate patterns using environmental indices for ocean conditions and in‐river conditions experienced during seaward migration. Survival rates during the smolt to adult and first year ocean life stages for both species were associated with both ocean and river conditions. Best‐fit, simplest models indicate that lower survival rates for Chinook salmon are associated with warmer ocean conditions, reduced upwelling in the spring, and with slower river velocity during the smolt migration or multiple passages through powerhouses at dams. Similarly, lower survival rates for steelhead are associated with warmer ocean conditions, reduced upwelling in the spring, and with slower river velocity and warmer river temperatures. Given projections for warming ocean conditions, a precautionary management approach should focus on improving in‐river migration conditions by increasing water velocity, relying on increased spill, or other actions that reduce delay of smolts through the river corridor during their seaward migration.     

The use of a real-time PCR primer/probe set to observe infectivity of Yersinia ruckeri in Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum), and steelhead trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum)

Yersinia ruckeri is the causative agent of enteric redmouth disease (ERM), a common pathogen affecting aquaculture facilities and implicated in large losses of cultured fish. Fisheries scientists continue to gain a greater understanding of the disease and the pathogen by investigating methods of identification and pre- and post-infection treatment. In this study, a real-time PCR probe set for Y. ruckeri was developed to detect daily changes in the bacterial load during pathogen challenges. Two species of fish, Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, and steelhead trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, were exposed to two strains of Y. ruckeri (Hag and SC) during bath challenges. A subset of fish was killed daily for 14 days, and the kidney tissue was biopsied to enumerate copies of pathogen DNA per gram of tissue. While Chinook exposed to either the Hag or SC strains exhibited similar pathogen loads, those exposed to the Hag strain displayed higher mortality (～66%) than fish exposed to the SC strain (～24% mortality). Steelhead exposed to the Hag strain exhibited a greater pathogen load and higher mortality (～42%) than those exposed to the SC strain (<1% mortality). Steelhead challenged with either strain showed lower pathogen loads than Chinook. The study illustrates the efficacy of the probe set to enumerate Y. ruckeri bacterial growth in the kidneys of fish. Also, strains of Y. ruckeri display species-specific growth patterns that result in differential mortality and pathogen load.     

Variation in juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) dispersal in relation to age and growth performance

Volitional dispersal is a ubiquitous strategy characteristic of species across major faunal groups. Dispersal during the juvenile life stage is of interest because early performance can be critical for determining future success (survival/reproduction). For salmonids, dispersal can influence local density, competition, individual growth and survival, though drivers of dispersal at meso-scales are rarely quantified. Here, we evaluate dispersal of tagged juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) through habitat units in extended stream reaches (500 m) at sites across a watershed from July to October 2017. Our aim was to quantify the frequency and spatial extent of dispersal, identify links to biotic and abiotic factors, evaluate the implications for individual growth and test for associations between dispersal and migration initiation. Dispersal rates varied between sites, but were consistently higher for age 1+ than for age 0 steelhead (avg. 21% vs. 6% respectively). Age 1+ dispersal probability was positively correlated with time between recapture events and body mass, and negatively correlated with growth rate, maximum temperature experienced and age 1+ density. At sites where there appeared to be growth benefits to remaining sedentary compared to moving, proportionally fewer fish performed dispersal. We found no links between dispersal and timing or probability of migration initiation the following spring. Our results support the hypothesis that although dispersal over intermediate scales (10–1,000 m) might be rare, it could be an important strategy that permits fish to seek out better opportunities (foraging, shelter or otherwise) in underutilised areas.     

Potential trophodynamic and environmental drivers of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) productivity in the North Pacific Ocean

Information on prey availability, diets, and trophic levels of fish predators and their prey provides a link between physical and biological changes in the ecosystem and subsequent productivity (growth and survival) of fish populations. In this study two long‐term data sets on summer diets of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in international waters of the central North Pacific Ocean (CNP; 1991–2009) and Gulf of Alaska (GOA; 1993–2002) were evaluated to identify potential drivers of steelhead productivity in the North Pacific. Stable isotopes of steelhead muscle tissue were assessed to corroborate the results of stomach content analysis. We found the composition of steelhead diets varied by ocean age group, region, and year. In both the GOA and CNP, gonatid squid (Berryteuthis anonychus) were the most influential component of steelhead diets, leading to higher prey energy densities and stomach fullness. Stomach contents during an exceptionally warm year in the GOA and CNP (1997) were characterized by high diversity of prey with low energy density, few squid, and a large amount of potentially toxic debris (e.g., plastic). Indicators of good diets (high proportions of squid and high prey energy density) were negatively correlated with abundance of wild populations of eastern Kamchatka pink salmon (O. gorbuscha) in the CNP. In conclusion, interannual variations in climate, abundance of squid, and density‐dependent interactions with highly‐abundant stocks of pink salmon were identified as potential key drivers of steelhead productivity in these ecosystems. Additional research in genetic stock identification is needed to link these potential drivers of productivity to individual populations.     

Temporal and spatial responses of British Columbia steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) populations to ocean climate shifts

The pattern of temporal change in recruitment of steelhead trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) entering the ocean between 1963 and 1990 was geographically coherent in all regions of British Columbia. A major increase in recruitment was evident for smolts entering the ocean after 1977. Subsequently, an out-of-phase response occurred after 1990, indicating that the effect of a possible 1990 regime shift had both temporal and geographical structure. Steelhead entering northern regions had increasing recruitment, while steelhead entering southern BC coastal regions had sharply decreasing recruitment. The evidence clearly indicates that the overall recruitment response since 1977 was primarily shaped by changes in marine (not freshwater) survival. Similar sudden changes in adult recruitment also appear to be occurring for other species of Pacific salmon in BC and Oregon, such as coho ( O. kisutch ), which appear to occur suddenly and show considerable persistence. A possible explanation for the change is that ocean productivity declined in coastal regions of southern BC after 1990, reducing the marine growth of juvenile salmon. The Bakun upwelling index shows a pattern of geographical coherence along the west coast of North America that could in principle explain the observed pattern of changes in recruitment. However, no evidence for a temporal shift in this index occurring around 1977 and 1990 is apparent. The reason for the sudden and persistent decline in ocean survival is therefore uncertain.     

Spatial patterning of habitat for Oncorhynchus mykiss in a system of intermittent and perennial streams

Abstract –  The salmonid Oncorhynchus mykiss tends to inhabit forested or snow-fed streams having cold reliable flows, but in the California chaparral they inhabit rain-fed stream networks with extensive areas of intermittent flow. We hypothesised that hydrological mechanisms in such watersheds tend to spatially segregate spawning and over-summering habitats, and tested the hypothesis using observations from a series of tributaries in a pristine watershed. Consistent with the hypothesis, reaches with suitably sized spawning gravels tended to occur in intermittent tributaries, and also the perennial mainstem (which was too warm for over-summering). In early summer, juvenile O. mykiss (<10 cm) occurred at similar densities in the intermittent and perennial tributaries, but larger fish had greater densities in perennial tributaries. Large wood debris would be expected to mitigate the spatial segregation of habitats somewhat, but was scarce, though stream-side outcrops appeared to partially compensate by forcing gravel bars in high-gradient channels.