North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission

Technical Report 15

Table of Contents

Changes in Juvenile Salmon Prey Fields Associated with a Recent Marine Heat Wave in the Northern California Current

Authors:
Elizabeth A. Daly, Toby D. Auth, Richard D. Brodeur, and Kym C. Jacobson

Abstract Excerpt:
Juvenile Chinook salmon feed primarily on late larval and early juvenile fishes when they enter coastal waters (Daly and Brodeur 2015). The late larval and early juvenile life stage of most marine fishes are difficult to sample effectively (Brodeur et al. 2011), which led us to explore alternative indices of potential fish prey abundance. The majority of marine fishes in the northern California Current (NCC) spawn in late winter and early spring (Brodeur et al. 2008). Winter-spawned fish larvae that grow and survive through spring provide a food base for juvenile coho, steelhead, and Chinook salmon during their first marine summer. Therefore, we used the winter ichthyoplankton biomass as a proxy for potential salmon food during this critical growth period (Daly et al. 2013).

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23849/npafctr15/71.74.

Citation

Daly, E.A., T.D. Auth, R.D. Brodeur, and K.C. Jacobson.  2019.  Changes in juvenile salmon prey fields associated with a recent marine heat wave in the Northern California Current.  N. Pac. Anadr. Fish Comm. Tech. Rep. 15: 71–74.  https://doi.org/10.23849/npafctr15/71.74.