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Coho Salmon are Native South of San Francisco Bay: A Reexamination of North American Coho Salmon's Southern Range Limit
Author(s) -
Adams Peter B.,
Botsford Louis W.,
Gobalet Kenneth W.,
Leidy Robert A.,
McEwan Dennis R.,
Moyle Peter B.,
Smith Jerry J.,
Williams John G.,
Yoshiyama Ronald M.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
fisheries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.725
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 1548-8446
pISSN - 0363-2415
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8446(2007)32[441:csanso]2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - bay , oncorhynchus , fishery , range (aeronautics) , habitat , hatchery , geography , chinook wind , archaeology , streams , ecology , fish <actinopterygii> , biology , computer network , materials science , computer science , composite material
Kaczynski and Alvarado (2006) have challenged the established southern boundary of coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) at the San Lorenzo River. They conclude that it is improbable coho salmon maintained self‐sustaining populations south of San Francisco Bay, based primarily on evidence from early museum collections and literature, the archaeological record, analyses of ocean conditions, and suitability of habitat. They suggest that hatchery plantings were the source of these coho salmon south of San Francisco Bay. Using the same and new information, we are able to counter these statements. Our examination of existing records found no reason to discount the coho salmon collections made in 1895 from streams south of San Francisco. Early distributional records state that coho salmon were abundant from San Francisco northward, but did not indicate coho salmon were absent south of San Francisco. Recent archeological evidence documents the presence of coho salmon in middens south of San Francisco prior to European habitation of the region. Furthermore, we found no creditable climatic, oceanographic, or ecological evidence for habitat differences between areas immediately north and south of San Francisco Bay. In fact, we believe that there is a more reasonable habitat and faunal break south of the San Lorenzo River, encompassing the allegedly controversial southern range of the coho salmon.