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Influence of Suspended Volcanic Ash on Homing Behavior of Adult Chinook Salmon
Author(s) -
Whitman Randall P.,
Quinn Thomas P.,
Bran Ernest L.
Publication year - 1982
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 - 10.1577/1548-8659(1982)111<63:iosvao>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - chinook wind , oncorhynchus , homing (biology) , volcanic ash , environmental science , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , zoology , volcano , biology , ecology , paleontology
Adult male chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha were tested for behavioral responses to suspended volcanic ash from Mount St. Helens, Washington. Chinook salmon exhibited a strong baseline preference for clean (ash‐free) home water over a clean non‐natal water source. The addition of ash to the home water significantly reduced preference for home water, apparently because of an avoidance response to ash, not an inability to identify home water. The ash also reduced upstream movement in the testing apparatus. The homing performance of displaced chinook salmon was assessed after a 7‐day exposure to an ash suspension of approximately 650 mg/liter. The ash did not affect the proportion of fish that homed.