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Geographical patterns of straying of fall chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum), from Columbia River (USA) hatcheries
Author(s) -
PASCUAL M.A.,
QUINN T.P.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
aquaculture research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.646
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-2109
pISSN - 1355-557X
DOI - 10.1111/are.1994.25.s2.17
Subject(s) - chinook wind , oncorhynchus , tributary , hatchery , fishery , fish hatchery , streams , homing (biology) , main stem , biology , fish <actinopterygii> , ecology , geography , aquaculture , fish farming , cartography , computer network , computer science , horticulture
The large‐scale spatial patterns of straying of marked chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum), produced at hatcheries in the Columbia River (north‐west USA) are described. Straying rates were extremely variable among hatcheries (from 1% to 95%). Fish produced near the mouth of the river strayed more commonly than those produced farther upriver. While the large‐scale straying patterns were well explained by the distance between the hatchery of origin and alternative destinations, substantial deviations from this pattern were observed at smaller scales. Three distinct areas of origin were identified and most straying occurred between hatcheries and natural spawning grounds within each area. The location of the stream where the hatchery of origin is located affects the patterns of straying. Fish reared at hatcheries in the main stem of the river did not stray into tributaries as often as predicted by a model based exclusively on linear distance between alternative locations. Likewise, fish released from large tributaries strayed to main stem hatcheries less often than predicted by the model. Fish produced at hatcheries on north bank tributaries appeared to stray less into southern streams than fish released from southern streams. These findings indicate that salmon are more likely to stray to spawning areas similar to their natal site than to dissimilar sites, in addition to the tendency to stray to nearly sites. In addition to the general patterns, examination of data from two types of transplants indicated that there is a genetic component to homing/straying behaviour within the watershed. However, salmon transplanted into the Columbia River watershed from elsewhere showed homing precision comparable to that of local fish, although they retained their ancestral marine distribution.