A Hypothesis of Alternation of Age of Return in Successive Generations of Skeena River Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

1971 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 513-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. T. Bilton
Keyword(s):  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Nerka ◽  
Female Parent ◽  
Juvenile Growth ◽  
Age At Maturity ◽  
Subsequent Growth ◽  
Initial Size ◽  
Egg Weight ◽  
Skeena River ◽  
Successive Generations

Egg weight of Scully Creek and Lower Babine River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) was positively correlated with length and, usually, age of the female parent. Egg weight was positively correlated with initial size and subsequent growth of juveniles, at least up to 3 months of age. Examination of scales indicated juvenile growth in the lake and ocean was inversely related to age at maturity. Hence it was hypothesized that the larger age 1.3 sockeye spawners tend to produce progeny that mature as smaller age 1.2 fish, which in turn give rise to progeny that mature as larger age 1.3 fish, and so on; an alternation in age of return of successive generations occurs.

Movements of Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in the Skeena River Estuary as Revealed by Ultrasonic Tracking

1975 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Groot ◽  
K. Simpson ◽  
I. Todd ◽  
P. D. Murray ◽  
G. A. Buxton
Keyword(s):  
Tidal Cycle ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Salt Water ◽  
Oncorhynchus Nerka ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
Tidal Flows ◽  
Skeena River ◽  
Ultrasonic Tracking ◽  
Passive Movements

Movements of adult sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) entering the Skeena River were examined in 1969 and 1970 by ultrasonic tracking methods. Fifteen of 18 sockeye released in the lower river seemed to move passively in and out with flood and ebb streams. Two fish moved upstream independent of tides and one salmon swam against ebb and flood currents. Ground speeds in both years of operation were 1.6 km/h during rising and 2.1 km/h during falling tides, causing the fish to be transported downstream by about 3 km per tidal cycle. Three salmon released outside the river mouth in salt water also seemed to ride the tidal flows passively. Ground speeds during ebb (3.6 km/h) were again greater than during flood (2.0 km/h), indicating a net offshore movement. We conclude that these passive movements are not an artifact but that sockeye salmon normally slow down or pause upon reaching the "home river" and drift for a period in tidal currents in the estuary and river mouth before migrating upstream.

A Comparison of Sockeye Salmon Catches at Rivers Inlet and Skeena River, B.C., with Particular Reference to Age at Maturity

1958 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold Godfrey
Keyword(s):  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Environmental Influence ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Age At Maturity ◽  
River Systems ◽  
Age Composition ◽  
Age Class ◽  
Skeena River ◽  
Two Populations

Age composition, size and sex data for sockeye salmon catches (1912–1954) at Rivers Inlet and Skeena River, B.C. were compared. For both river systems there were indications of 4- and 5-year cycles of abundance among the 4- and 5-year-old fish, respectively; but the two populations were not necessarily in phase. Tests for correlation between the numbers of parental and offspring fish strongly suggested the dominance of hereditary over environmental influence in determining age at maturity. The two stocks showed much similarity in annual size variation, among each sex and age-class.

Patterns of Interannual Variation in Age at Maturity of Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in Alaska and British Columbia

1985 ◽  
Vol 42 (10) ◽  
pp. 1595-1607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randall M. Peterman
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Nerka ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Age At Maturity ◽  
Bristol Bay ◽  
Freshwater Environment ◽  
Marine Life ◽  
Alternative Hypotheses

Interannual variations in mean age of maturity tend to be positively correlated among 10 stocks of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) which spawn in rivers emptying into Bristol Bay, Alaska. Taking a comparative approach, I utilized data from British Columbia and Alaska sockeye stocks with different life histories to test alternative hypotheses about sources of these variations in mean age at maturity. The hypotheses included freshwater environment, marine environment, and parental influences. Freshwater hypotheses were rejected and while some parental effects do exist, they are small compared with the effect of events in early marine life. Early marine growth rate data do not exist for these stocks but evidence from five other sockeye stocks shows that fast growth during this period tends to lead to earlier age at maturity.

Environmental and Parental Influences on Age at Maturity in Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) from the Fraser River, British Columbia

1986 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randall M. Peterman ◽  
Michael J. Bradford ◽  
Judith L. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Age Structure ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Nerka ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Fraser River ◽  
Age At Maturity ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
River Population ◽  
The Mean

Commercial fisheries possess the potential for applying strong selection on size or age at maturity in the populations they exploit. It is therefore important to know the extent to which these traits are inherited. We examined regressions of the mean age at maturity of cohorts of offspring on the mean ages of the female and male spawners which produced them for four populations of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) from the Fraser River, British Columbia. Unlike previous researchers, we found that neither genetic nor maternal effects are important, relative to environmental variables, in influencing year-to-year variation in age at maturity in these stocks. The differences between our findings and earlier ones are due to a longer data series and more complete population statistics than were available previously. We further analyzed the age structure of the Adams River population, which has a cyclic pattern of abundance. Fluctuating population density appeared to account for variation in age structure among cycle years in the Adams stock. We concluded that serious concerns about the long-term effects of size-selective fishing on mean age at maturity are probably not warranted for Fraser River sockeye.

Uncertainties in population dynamics and outcomes of regulations in sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) fisheries: implications for management

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (7) ◽  
pp. 1459-1474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie A. Holt ◽  
Randall M. Peterman
Keyword(s):  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Nerka ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Age At Maturity ◽  
Sources Of Uncertainty ◽  
Future Assessment ◽  
Long Term Trends

Fisheries managers usually have multiple options available but are often unclear on how to choose among them owing to uncertainties in biological and management components of fisheries systems. We evaluated the performance of current and possible future assessment and management practices for sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) in British Columbia and Alaska by using a computer model that included major biological and management components and their associated uncertainties (interannual variability in recruitment, age-at-maturity, and sex ratio, as well as uncertainty in observations of spawner abundances, forecasts of recruitment, and outcomes from implementing management regulations). One option for management practices that we evaluated was designed to make the forecasting model more realistic by accounting for long-term trends in age-at-maturity. A second option was designed to reduce deviations between management targets and actual or “realized” harvest levels. We found that compared with practices that ignore those sources of uncertainty, the second option produced annual catches that were higher, on average, and less variable over time while maintaining recruitment above critical conservation levels. Contrary to our expectations, the first modification did not result in comparable benefits. Our results demonstrate the value of using simulation models to evaluate potential modifications to Pacific salmon management practices.

Long-term trends in age-specific recruitment of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in a changing environment

2004 ◽  
Vol 61 (12) ◽  
pp. 2455-2470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie A Holt ◽  
Randall M Peterman
Keyword(s):  
Kalman Filter ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Oncorhynchus Nerka ◽  
Age At Maturity ◽  
Age Class ◽  
Sibling Models ◽  
Long Term Trends ◽  
Forecasting Errors

Sibling – age-class (sibling) models, which relate abundance of one age-class of adult sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) to abundance of the previous age-class in the previous year, are commonly used to forecast abundance 1 year ahead. Standard sibling models assume constant parameters over time. However, many sockeye salmon populations have shown temporal changes in age-at-maturity. We therefore developed a new Kalman filter sibling model that allowed for time-varying parameters. We found considerable evidence for long-term trends in parameters of sibling models for 24 sockeye salmon stocks in British Columbia and Alaska; most trends reflected increasing age-at-maturity. In a retrospective analysis, the Kalman filter forecasting models reduced mean-squared forecasting errors compared with standard sibling models in 29%–39% of the stocks depending on the age-class. The Kalman filter models also had mean percent biases closer to zero than the standard models for 54%–94% of the stocks. Parameters of these sibling models are positively correlated among stocks from different regions, suggesting that large-scale factors (e.g., competition among stocks for limited marine prey) may be important drivers of long-term changes in age-at-maturity schedules in sockeye salmon.

Genetic Models for Cyclic Dominance in Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

1992 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl Walters ◽  
J. C. Woodey
Keyword(s):  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Nerka ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Fishing Mortality ◽  
Age At Maturity ◽  
Dominant Trait ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
Cyclic Patterns ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Stability

A simple genetic mechanism may be partly responsible for maintaining violent cycles in abundance of some Fraser River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) stocks. If age at maturity is highly heritable, spawning runs in low cycle lines may have high percentages of age 5 spawners that tend to produce offspring that will return at age 5, due to production of low percentages of such spawners by preceding high cycle lines. Then even if each low cycle line has a high productivity per spawner, a large fraction of this productivity may be "lost" to the cycle line, in the form of age 5 recruits to other cycle lines. In the face of high fishing mortality, even a small relative loss from any cycle line may cause it to remain small relative to other lines. This model explains several observations, such as high productivity per spawner in low cycle lines, that cannot be explained by previous hypotheses involving depensatory predation or food supply. However, it is unlikely that genetic effects alone are responsible for the stability of cyclic patterns, unless low offcycle runs consist entirely of "temporal colonizer" genotypes that produce a high proportion of age 5 offspring as a dominant trait.

Patterns of covariation in length and age at maturity of British Columbia and Alaska sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) stocks

1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 1046-1057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian J Pyper ◽  
Randall M Peterman ◽  
Michael F Lapointe ◽  
Carl J Walters
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Survival Rate ◽  
Body Length ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Oncorhynchus Nerka ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Age At Maturity ◽  
Environmental Processes

We examined patterns of covariation in age-specific adult body length and in mean age at maturity among 31 sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) stocks from western Alaska to southern British Columbia. Positive covariation in body length was prevalent across stocks of all regions (e.g., correlations (r) from 0.2 to 0.6), suggesting either that growth periods critical to final body length of sockeye salmon occur while ocean distributions of these stocks overlap or that large-scale environmental processes influence these stocks similarly while they do not overlap. We also found stronger covariation among body length of stocks within regions (r from 0.4 to 0.7), indicating that unique regional-scale processes were also important. Mean age at maturity also showed positive covariation both among and within regions, but correlations were weaker than those for length. We also examined patterns of covariation between length and mean age at maturity and between these variables and survival rate. Although length and mean age at maturity were negatively correlated, there was little evidence of covariation between these variables and survival rate, suggesting that environmental processes that influence marine survival rates of sockeye salmon are largely different from those affecting size and age at maturity.

Variants of Lactate Dehydrogenase Isozymes in Sera of Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

1969 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. O. Hodgins ◽  
W. E. Ames ◽  
F. M. Utter
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Lactate Dehydrogenase ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Nerka ◽  
Gulf Of Alaska ◽  
Bristol Bay ◽  
Lactate Dehydrogenase Isozymes ◽  
Skeena River ◽  
Total Body ◽  
Ldh Isozymes

Three phenotypes of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isozymes were found in sera of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), presumably representing B′B′, B′B, and BB genotypes. No association was obvious between LDH phenotype of sera and sex or total body length.Of 1006 sera from Asian, Bristol Bay, and Gulf of Alaska stocks, 826 were B′B′ and 180 were B′B or BB. Of 591 sera from Washington and British Columbia stocks, 589 were B′B′ and 2 were B′B; both of the B-allele phenotypes were found in fish captured at the Skeena River in northern British Columbia. These findings suggested that LDH isozymes should be useful in studies on ocean distribution of sockeye salmon and in characterizing certain Asian and Alaskan sockeye salmon populations.

Mate Selection in a Population of Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) of Mixed Age-groups

1967 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 1955-1977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur J. Hanson ◽  
Howard D. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Mate Selection ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Nerka ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Skeena River ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Mixed Age

Anadromous Skeena River sockeye mature and spawn mainly at ages 42 and 52. Lesser numbers of 32, 53, and 63 and 64 fish, and non-anadromous kokanee, may spawn in the same stream. Mate selection by the different types was studied by observing salmon of known length and using the relationship found between length and age in dead, spawned fish.Fish of all lengths tended to mate with similar sized fish. Small males were less successful in holding mates than were large males because they could not successfully defend redds against larger intruders. Small males spent more time alone than large ones and frequently lay in groups behind mating pairs. The term "satellite male" is used in describing the behaviour. Small females mated with large males but spent more time alone than did large females.The genetic implications of mating within age-groups are considered.

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