UK: Researchers help migrating salmon survive mortality hot-spot

Published 2024년 4월 19일

Tridge summary

A study by the University of British Columbia, tracking coho salmon smolts from Mossom Creek Hatchery in Port Moody, B.C., revealed a significant drop in survival rates shortly after ocean release. Utilizing acoustic telemetry, researchers found that only 60% of the smolts survived the first three kilometers, and less than a quarter reached the Lions Gate Bridge, 20 kilometers away. Published in the North American Journal of Fisheries Management, the study attributes the high mortality primarily to predators near the release point. These findings suggest that modifying release strategies could notably enhance the smolts' early ocean survival rates, prompting the hatchery to explore alternative release methods.

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Original content

When Kevin Ryan and the other hardworking volunteers at Mossom Creek Hatchery in Port Moody, B.C. release young coho smolts into the ocean, they're never quite certain how many will return as adults.Mossom releases between 5,000 and 10,000 coho smolts each year, and is one of the few hatcheries to release coho directly into the ocean, rather than into a river. Until now, no research had looked at the success of direct ocean releases of coho.UBC researchers used acoustic telemetry to tag and track coho on their journey. The results were revealing: only 60% of the fish remained alive three kilometers from release. Fewer than one-quarter reached the Lions Gate Bridge 20 kilometers away. The findings are published in the North American Journal of Fisheries Management."While low survival is not surprising during this life stage, we discovered that most mortality occurred close to the release location, likely due to predators," said Dr. Scott Hinch, a professor in the department of ...

Source: Phys