Growth during the first summer at sea modulates sex-specific maturation schedule in Atlantic salmon

Recent decline in abundance of Atlantic salmon and concomitant changes in life history may result from a decline in the growth conditions during marine migration. Available literature suggests the existence of a sex-specific reaction norm linking maturation with environmental growth conditions at sea. However the extent to which this mechanism explains variations in age at maturity remains unclear. Using a historical collection of scales (1987-2017) from the Sélune River, France, we showed that marine growth declined over the first summer, and remained stable during the subsequent periods at sea among returning salmon. Results support the hypothesis of a sex-specific probabilistic reaction norm, with individual probability to return after one year at sea increasing when growth increases. Females may require higher growth than males to attain their maturation threshold. This mechanism is a good candidate to explain temporal variability in sea-age at return at both the individual and population level in the Sélune population and in many other southern European populations.

Nonanadromous and anadromous Atlantic salmon differ in orientation responses to magnetic displacements

Many animals undertaking long-distance migrations use Earth’s magnetic field as a “map” to assess their position for orientation. This phenomenon been particularly well-studied in salmonids using “magnetic displacement” experiments, in which animals are presented with magnetic field conditions that are characteristic of other geographic locations. However, whether use of magnetic map cues differs among populations of salmon has not been investigated. Here we show that nonanadromous and anadromous populations of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) raised under the same conditions within their native range differ in their response to magnetic displacements in the North Atlantic. The directions adopted by anadromous salmon juveniles to each of the magnetic displacements would support their migration from the eastern US to western Greenland, had the fish actually been at those locations. In contrast, nonanadromous salmon did not appear to respond to the magnetic displacements. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the innate magnetic map of anadromous salmon is adapted to guide their marine migration.

Impacts of salmon lice on mortality, marine migration distance and premature return in sea trout

Brown trout Salmo trutta (L.) is a facultative anadromous species, where a portion of individuals in populations with access to the sea perform migrations to use the richer feeding resources. We investigated the effect of salmon lice Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer 1837) infestation on the survival and behaviour of wild trout post-smolts (average fork length = 180 mm) during their marine migration. Comparisons of the marine migratory behaviour were made between an artificially infested group (n = 74) and a control group (n = 71) in an area with low natural lice infestation pressure. Artificial infestation was estimated to cause 100% prevalence and a mean intensity of 65 lice fish-1 (mean relative intensity of 2.4 lice g-1 fish). Survival analysis showed limited statistical power but revealed lice-induced mortality, with an estimated hazard ratio of 2.73 (95% CI = 1.04-7.13) compared to the control group, when data from a previous pilot study were included. Surviving individuals in the infested group additionally responded by residing closer to fresh water while at sea, and by prematurely returning to fresh water. On average, infested fish returned to fresh water after only 18 d at sea, while control fish spent on average 100 d at sea. The residency in the inner part of the fjord and the premature return to fresh water represent an adaptive behavioural response to survive the infestation, at the probable cost of reduced growth opportunities and compromised future fitness.

Heavy sea louse infection is associated with decreased stomach fullness in wild juvenile sockeye salmon

Foraging success can be mediated by parasites, but this is poorly understood for marine fish whose aggregations and patchy prey fields create conditions for intense intraspecific competition. We evaluated whether sea louse infection is associated with decreased stomach fullness of wild juvenile sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in Johnstone Strait, British Columbia, during their marine migration from the Fraser River. Caligus clemensi comprised 98.6% of the pre-adult and adult lice and 86.5% of the copepodites (freshly attached juvenile lice); the rest were Lepeophtheirus salmonis. We found that infection status was an important predictor of relative stomach fullness for juvenile sockeye (wet stomach content mass divided by body mass), as indicated by mixed-effects model selection, and that highly infected fish had 17% ± 8% lower relative stomach fullness than did lightly infected fish. This louse-associated reduction in relative stomach fullness occurs as the juvenile sockeye migrate through a food-limited environment and, presumably, elevated competition. Given that early marine growth for juvenile salmon is often a predictor of survival, our results highlight the importance of understanding sublethal effects of parasites on salmonids and possibly other fish species.

Transcriptome patterns and blood physiology associated with homing success of sockeye salmon during their final stage of marine migration

To better understand the mechanisms that lead to marine mortality of homing adult sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), gill and blood biopsies were used in combination with biotelemetry to demonstrate how survival to freshwater entry is related to gene expression and physiological indices of stress. Microarray analysis of gene expression indicated multiple biological processes, including immune and stress responses, protein biosynthesis, and metabolism. Quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis indicated fish with upregulation of genes related to stress and infection had higher marine survival compared with fish without this genomic signature. We proposed that higher marine survival of potentially stressed and immune compromised fish can be explained by stressed and infected fish being highly motivated to enter fresh water, leading to enhanced marine survival. However, once in a river, stressed and immune compromised fish could suffer higher mortality because of premature river entry. Overall, this study supports the idea that infection and stress are important biological processes influencing behaviour and fate of sockeye salmon during homing migrations.