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Effect of Lake Trout Size on Survival after a Single Sea Lamprey Attack
Author(s) -
Swink William D.
Publication year - 1990
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(1990)119<0996:eoltso>2.3.co;2
Subject(s) - petromyzon , lamprey , salvelinus , trout , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , biology , zoology
When lake trout Salvelinus namaycush were subjected to a single attack by a sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus in laboratory tests in 1986, percentage mortality was significantly higher in small fish (64%; 469–557 mm; N = 67) than in medium (44%; 559–643 mm; N = 45) or large fish (43%; 660–799 mm; N = 47). Additional studies conducted in 1987 with 55 medium (559–650 mm) and 52 large (660–825 mm) lake trout confirmed that there was no difference in mortality between the two larger size‐groups. Mortality declined in lake trout over 559 mm, but was still greater than 43%. This level of mortality and the sea lampreysˈ apparently active selection of larger fish indicated that, contrary to previously published opinions, large size in lake trout (up to ∼800 mm in length) might not allow better survival from single sea lamprey attacks.