Riverine and early marine survival of stocked salmon smolts, Salmo salar L., descending the Testebo River, Sweden

Abstract  A combination of radio and acoustic telemetry was used to monitor the out-migration of hatchery-reared Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., in the River Testebo, its estuary and coastal system. As with many other Baltic rivers, the hydropower regulated River Testebo once had a self-sustaining salmon population that is now extinct. Substantial losses of smolts in the river (48–69%) and inner part of the estuary (43–47%) were found, but after leaving the estuary, the success of post-smolts moving out of the Bay was sufficiently high (83–89%) to conclude that habitat within the bay is not a factor limiting initial marine survival. The results suggest that hatchery-based recovery of a wild salmon population in the river will not be successful unless other actions, such as habitat improvement, are included.