North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission

Technical Report 23

Table of Contents

Linking Juvenile Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) Nutritional Condition and Trophic Status to Genetic-Based Stock Assignments

Authors:
Todd W. Miller, Emily Fergusson, Ed Farley, Jim Murphy, Robert Suryan, Bryan Cormack, Andy Barclay, Eric Rondeau, Kathrine Howard, Dion Oxman, Lukas DeFilippo, Wil Licht, and Cathy Mattson

Abstract Excerpt:
In the high seas, Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) stocks exhibit considerable mixing across the North Pacific, which increases the potential for inter- and intra-species resource competition. Stock origin and potential stock-specific phenotypic differences in feeding may therefore be an important factor in understanding density dependence and other drivers of nutritional quality. Evidence of stock-specific differences in feeding of north Pacific salmon have been shown from stable isotope analysis of sockeye salmon returns (Welch and Parsons 1993; Johnson and Schindler 2012), and stock-specific growth rates (Tucker et al. 2009). Here we assess stock specific differences in stable isotopes and measures of nutritional condition (lipid and protein) in chum salmon (O. keta) collected from the North Pacific during the 2022 International Year of the Salmon Pan Pacific Winter Survey. We discuss the importance of incorporating genetic stock identification, life history stage and growth when applying biochemical measures to understanding trophic processes from winter months in high latitude systems.

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23849/npafctr23/md66-8u

Citation

Miller, T.W., E. Fergusson, E. Farley, J. Murphy, R. Suryan, B. Cormack, A. Barclay, E. Rondeau, K. Howard, D. Oxman, L. DeFilippo, W. Licht, and C. Mattson.  2024.  Linking juvenile chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) nutritional condition and trophic status to genetic-based stock assignments.  N. Pac. Anadr. Fish Comm. Tech. Rep. 23: 82–87.  https://doi.org/10.23849/npafctr23/md66-8u