Premium
Reduced growth in wild juvenile sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka infected with sea lice
Author(s) -
Godwin S. C.,
Dill L. M.,
Krkošek M.,
Price M. H. H.,
Reynolds J. D.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/jfb.13325
Subject(s) - biology , lepeophtheirus , oncorhynchus , juvenile , parasite hosting , zoology , fishery , aquatic animal , fish <actinopterygii> , ecology , aquaculture , world wide web , computer science
Daily growth rings were examined in the otoliths of wild juvenile sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka to determine whether infection by ectoparasitic sea lice Caligus clemensi and Lepeophtheirus salmonis was associated with reduced host body growth, an important determinant of survival. Over 98% of the sea lice proved to be C. clemensi and the fish that were highly infected grew more slowly than uninfected individuals. Larger fish also grew faster than smaller fish. Finally, there was evidence of an interaction between body size and infection status, indicating the potential for parasite‐mediated growth divergence.