North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission

Technical Report 15

Table of Contents

Is Juvenile Salmon Condition Driven by the Nutritional Quality at the Base of the Plankton Food-web?

Authors:
David Costalago, Brian P. V. Hunt, Ian Perry, Chrys Neville, Kelly Young, and Ian Forster

Abstract Excerpt:
A first step towards understanding the impact of long-term changes in oceanographic conditions and zooplankton communities on salmon is characterizing the food-web pathways that support them. Salmon’s juvenile phase includes their transition from freshwater to the ocean, and there is evidence pointing to the importance of nutritional condition during these early life stages as being critical for the success of the adults’ return (Beamish and Mahnken 2001). The study of the food quality and plankton-based energy sources for Pacific salmon during the fish’s early ocean phase offers information on how salmon condition relates to the environment. The Strait of Georgia (SoG) supports the early marine phase of salmon emanating from British Columbia’s biggest salmon producer, the Fraser River, and most smolts in the region out-migrate between February–June.

*This is the first paragraph of an extended abstract. Download the full abstract below.

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23849/npafctr15/94.96.

Citation

Costalago, D., B.P.V. Hunt, I. Perry, C. Neville, K. Young, and I. Forster.  2019.  Is juvenile salmon condition driven by the nutritional quality at the base of the plankton food-web?  N. Pac. Anadr. Fish Comm. Tech. Rep. 15: 94–96.  https://doi.org/10.23849/npafctr15/94.96.