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Survival and Dispersal of Sonic‐Tagged, Hatchery‐Reared Burbot Released into the Kootenay River
Author(s) -
Stephenson Sarah M.,
Neufeld Matthew D.,
Ireland Susan C.,
Young Shawn,
Hardy Ryan S.,
Rust Pete
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
transactions of the american fisheries society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1548-8659
pISSN - 0002-8487
DOI - 10.1080/00028487.2013.774293
Subject(s) - biological dispersal , hatchery , tributary , broodstock , fishery , habitat , population , biology , ecology , aquaculture , fish <actinopterygii> , geography , demography , cartography , sociology
As part of recovery efforts for the Kootenay population of Burbot Lota lota , we monitored 109 sonic‐tagged, hatchery‐reared Burbot released at 1–3 years of age throughout Kootenay Lake and the Kootenay River over a 3‐year period. Our objectives were to evaluate broodstock choice, assess differences in survival and dispersal by release site and age, and evaluate spawning movements. Overall, release survival was high (66%) and there was dispersal throughout the system (up to 235 km), involving both lacustrine and riverine habitat. Spawning movements were extensive (up to 59 km/d upstream) and suggest the use of known spawning locations. However, most age‐1 releases had lower survival and remained in the release tributaries for 1 year postrelease, which was longer than expected and which warrants further investigation. Overall, this telemetry study provides a positive outlook on the current aquaculture rehabilitation efforts for Kootenay Burbot and provides direction for further work.