Influence of River Level on Temperature and Hydraulic Gradients in Chum and Fall Chinook Salmon Spawning Areas Downstream of Bonneville Dam, Columbia River

2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Geist ◽  
Evan V. Arntzen ◽  
Christopher J. Murray ◽  
Kathleen E. McGrath ◽  
Yi-Ju Bott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Columbia River ◽  
River Level ◽  
Spawning Areas ◽  
Hydraulic Gradients

Hyporheic discharge of river water into fall chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) spawning areas in the Hanford Reach, Columbia River

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (8) ◽  
pp. 1647-1656 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R Geist
Keyword(s):  
Dissolved Oxygen ◽  
River Water ◽  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Hyporheic Zone ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Columbia River ◽  
Specific Conductance ◽  
Chemical Gradients ◽  
Spawning Areas ◽  
Hanford Reach

Fall chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) spawned predominantly in areas of the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River where hyporheic water discharged into the river channel. This upwelling water had a dissolved solids content (i.e., specific conductance) indicative of river water and was presumed to have entered highly permeable riverbed substrate at locations upstream of the spawning areas. Hyporheic discharge zones composed of undiluted ground water or areas with little or no upwelling were not used by spawning salmon. Rates of upwelling into spawning areas averaged 1200 L·m-2·day-1 (95% CI = 784-1665 L·m-2·day-1) as compared with approximately 500 L·m-2·day-1 (95% CI = 303-1159 L·m-2·day-1) in nonspawning areas. Dissolved oxygen content of the hyporheic discharge near salmon spawning areas was about 9 mg·L-1 (±0.4 mg·L-1) whereas in nonspawning areas, dissolved oxygen values were 7 mg·L-1 (±0.9 mg·L-1) or lower. In both cases, dissolved oxygen of the river water was higher (11.3 ± 0.3 mg·L-1). Physical and chemical gradients between the hyporheic zone and the river may provide cues for adult salmon to locate suitable spawning areas. This information will help fisheries managers to describe the suitability of salmon spawning habitat in large rivers.

Route selection in a large river during the homing migration of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
pp. 1752-1762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew L Keefer ◽  
Christopher C Caudill ◽  
Christopher A Peery ◽  
Theodore C Bjornn
Keyword(s):  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Columbia River ◽  
Large River ◽  
Migration Route ◽  
Route Selection ◽  
Behavioral Differences ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Selection Decisions ◽  
Efficient Route

Upstream-migrating adult salmon must make a series of correct navigation and route-selection decisions to successfully locate natal streams. In this field study, we examined factors influencing migration route selections early in the migration of 4361 radio-tagged adult Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) as they moved upstream past dams in the large (~1 km wide) Columbia River. Substantial behavioral differences were observed among 11 conspecific populations, despite largely concurrent migrations. At dams, Chinook salmon generally preferred ladder passage routes adjacent to the shoreline where their natal tributaries entered, and the degree of preference increased as salmon proximity to natal tributaries increased. Columbia River discharge also influenced route choices, explaining some route selection variability. We suggest that salmon detect lateral gradients in orientation cues across the Columbia River channel that are entrained within tributary plumes and that these gradients in cues can persist downstream for tens to hundreds of kilometres. Detection of tributary plumes in large river systems, using olfactory or other navigation cues, may facilitate efficient route selection and optimize energy conservation by long-distance migrants.

Assessing covariability among populations in the presence of intraseries correlation: Columbia River spring-summer chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) stocks

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 616-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis W Botsford ◽  
Charles M Paulsen
Keyword(s):  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Columbia River ◽  
Data Types ◽  
Natural Logarithm ◽  
Different Types ◽  
John Day River ◽  
One Year ◽  
John Day

We assessed covariability among a number of spawning populations of spring-summer run chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Columbia River basin by computing correlations among several different types of spawner and recruit data. We accounted for intraseries correlation explicitly in judging the significance of correlations. To reduce the errors involved in computing effective degrees of freedom, we computed a generic effective degrees of freedom for each data type. In spite of the fact that several of these stocks have declined, covariability among locations using several different combinations of spawner and recruitment data indicated no basinwide covariability. There was, however, significant covariability among index populations within the three main subbasins: the Snake River, the mid-Columbia River, and the John Day River. This covariability was much stronger and more consistent in data types reflecting survival (e.g., the natural logarithm of recruits per spawner) than in data reflecting abundance (e.g., spawning escapement). We also tested a measure of survival that did not require knowing the age structure of spawners, the ratio of spawners in one year to spawners 4 years earlier. It displayed a similar spatial pattern.

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