Juvenile salmonid distribution, growth, condition, origin, and environmental and species associations in the Northern California Current

Information is summarized on juvenile salmonid distribution, size, condition, growth, stock origin, and species and environmental associations from June and August 2000 GLOBEC cruises with particular emphasis on differences related to the regions north and south of Cape Blanco off Southern Oregon. Juvenile salmon were more abundant during the August cruise as compared to the June cruise and were mainly distributed northward from Cape Blanco. There were distinct differences in distribution patterns between salmon species: chinook salmon were found close inshore in cooler water all along the coast and coho salmon were rarely found south of Cape Blanco. Distance offshore and temperature were the dominant explanatory variables related to coho and chinook salmon distribution. The nekton assemblages differed significantly between cruises. The June cruise was dominated by juvenile rockfishes, rex sole, and sablefish, which were almost completely absent in August. The forage fish community during June comprised Pacific herring and whitebait smelt north of Cape Blanco and surf smelt south of Cape Blanco. The fish community in August was dominated by Pacific sardines and highly migratory pelagic species. Estimated growth rates of juvenile coho salmon were higher in the GLOBEC study area than in areas farther north. An unusually high percentage of coho salmon in the study area were precocious males. Significant differences in growth and condition of juvenile coho salmon indicated different oceanographic environments north and south of Cape Blanco. The condition index was higher in juvenile coho salmon to the north but no significant differences were found for yearling chinook salmon. Genetic mixed stock analysis indicated that during June, most of the Chinook salmon in our sample originated from rivers along the central coast of Oregon. In August, chinook salmon sampled south of Cape Blanco were largely from southern Oregon and northern California; whereas most chinook salmon north of Cape Blanco were from the Central Valley in California

Salmon at River\u27s End: The Role of the Estuary in the Decline and Recovery of Columbia River salmon

The continued decline of Columbia River salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) populations has long focused concerns on habitat changes upriver, particularly the effects of large hydroelectric dams. Increasing evidence that ocean conditions strongly influence salmon production, however, has raised questions about the importance of the estuarine environment to salmon and whether the hydropower system has affected estuarine-rearing habitats. In response to Northwest Power Planning Council recommendations, we initiated a review of what is known about the effects of the hydroelectric system on the hydrology, habitats, and ecology of the Columbia River estuary. Our goal was to develop recommendations for improving estuarine conditions or to identify research that may be needed before appropriate salmon-management changes can be defined. Our review and analyses addressed four major questions: (1) What habitats and processes support native salmon populations during the estuarine phase of their life cycle? (2) Have changes to the estuary had a significant role in salmon decline? (3) What have been the impacts of flow regulation on the hydrology, habitat, and biological interactions in the estuarine ecosystem? (4) What estuarine conditions are necessary to maintain salmonid diversity in the Columbia River basin

Cumulative Effects of Natural and Anthropogenic Stress on Immune Function and Disease Resistance in Juvenile Chinook Salmon

Previous studies have shown that juvenile chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha exposed in the field or the laboratory to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), an anthropogenic stressor, are immunosuppressed. It is not known whether simultaneous exposure to natural stressors can increase this immunosuppression. To examine the effects of natural and anthropogenic stressors on immune function, we infected juvenile chinook salmon with metacercariae of the trematode Nanophyetus salmincola by exposing the fish to infected freshwater snails Juga plicifera. Infected (>300 metacercariae per fish) and noninfected salmon were then injected with either the commercial PCB mixture Aroclor 1254 or an acetone-emulphor carrier. B cell function was examined by in vitro hemolytic plaque-forming cell (PFC) assay. Nanophyetus salmincola infection resulted in significantly lower anterior kidney primary PFCs and lower splenic secondary PFCs. The combination of N. salmincola infection and Aroclor 1254 exposure caused a lower anterior kidney primary PFC response than did either stressor alone. The immune function of juvenile chinook salmon was also measured by challenging them with the marine bacterium Listonella anguillarum (formerly known as Vibrio anguillarum). Fish infected with N. salmincola had higher mortalities than noninfected fish when challenged with L. anguillarum. These experiments demonstrated that N. salmincola infection in juvenile chinook salmon can impair immune function and disease resistance. The findings also show that in combination these natural and anthropogenic stressors can have a greater negative effect on salmon health than either stressor alone.Keywords: stress, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, polychlorinated biphenyls, immunosuppressio

Germinación diferencial asociada con viviparidad facultativa en Stenocereus thurberi (Cactaceae): correlaciones climáticas en poblaciones marginales de Sinaloa, México

Background and Aims: Precocious (viviparous) seed germination in fruits of Stenocereus thurberi has been correlated with higher germination rate of the remaining seeds. This study compares the germination of five populations from Sinaloa, Mexico, to determine: 1) whether there is a pattern associated with precocious seed germination and, 2) how much the viviparous phenomenon accounts for germination compared to variation between fruits, individuals and populations of the cactus.Methods: The incidence of vivipary was recorded in 194 plants, and seeds were separated into four putative sources of variance: populations, reproductive categories (VV: viviparous, NV: non-viviparous), individuals within categories and fruits within individuals. The seed germination response in percentage (PGF), mean time (TMG), rate (VG), and synchrony of germination (SG) was evaluated under a randomized complete blocks scheme with three replicates, in experimental units of 25 seeds. Data were analyzed with hierarchical ANOVAs for a linear mixed model.Key results: Reproductive categories accounted for 5-11% of variance and showed significant differences in favor of viviparous phenotypes, with PGF of 35 vs 19% and 91 vs 72%, VG of 1.5 vs 0.5 and 7.9 vs 5.4 seeds/day, and SG of 0.3 vs 0.1, 0.7 vs 0.5 and 0.8 vs 0.6. Buenavista and Tosalibampo populations showed higher percentage, rate and synchrony of germination than the other populations (P<0.05, Student t-test).Conclusions: There is a seed germination pattern associated to vivipary in S. thurberi. The variance accounted by this condition depends on the environment in which seed maturation and germination occur. The seeds from viviparous phenotypes showed higher germination vigor than seeds from non-viviparous plants, revealing potential for seedling recruitment and population growth under drought and salinity stress.Antecedentes y Objetivos: La germinación precoz (vivípara) de semillas en frutos de Stenocereus thurberi se ha correlacionado con mayor velocidad de germinación de las semillas remanentes. Esta investigación compara la germinación de cinco poblaciones de Sinaloa, México, para determinar: 1) si existe un patrón asociado con la germinación precoz de las semillas y 2) cuánto contribuye el fenómeno vivíparo a la germinación, dada la variación entre frutos, individuos y poblaciones de esta especie.Métodos: Se revisó el nivel de viviparidad de 194 plantas y se separaron las semillas en cuatro probables fuentes de varianza: poblaciones, categorías reproductivas (VV: vivíparas y NV: no vivíparas), plantas dentro de categorías y frutos dentro de plantas. Las respuestas de germinación final (PGF), tiempo medio (TMG), velocidad (VG) y sincronía de germinación (SG) se evaluaron en bloques al azar con tres repeticiones, en unidades experimentales de 25 semillas. Los datos se analizaron con ANOVA’s jerárquicos bajo un modelo lineal mixto.Resultados clave: Las categorías reproductivas explicaron 5-11% de la varianza y mostraron diferencias significativas a favor de las vivíparas, con PGF de 35 vs 19% y 91 vs 72%, VG de 1.5 vs 0.5 y 7.9 vs 5.4 semillas/día, y SG de 0.3 vs 0.1, 0.7 vs 0.5 y 0.8 vs 0.6. Las poblaciones de Buenavista y Tosalibampo tuvieron mayor porcentaje, velocidad y sincronía de germinación (prueba t de Student, P<0.05) que las otras poblaciones.Conclusiones: Existe un patrón de germinación asociado con viviparidad en S. thurberi. La varianza asociada con esta condición depende del ambiente de maduración y germinación de las semillas. Los fenotipos vivíparos germinaron con mayor vigor que los no vivíparos, mostrando potencial para apoyar la incorporación de individuos y el crecimiento de la población en condiciones de estrés hídrico y salino

Increased Susceptibility of Juvenile Chinook Salmon to Vibriosis after Exposure to Chlorinated and Aromatic Compounds Found in Contaminated Urban Estuaries

Saltwater-adapted juvenile chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha exposed to aromatic and chlorinated compounds, representative of contaminants found in urban estuaries in Puget Sound, have a higher susceptibility to vibriosis than do fish exposed only to the solvent vehicle. Susceptibility to vibriosis was assessed by examining the percent cumulative mortality of the salmon after exposure to the bacterial pathogen Vibrio anguillarum. The aromatic and chlorinated compounds examined consisted of a sediment extract from the Hylebos Waterway that was enriched in butadienelike compounds (chlorinated-enriched Hylebos Waterway sediment extract [CHWSE]), a model mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a polychlorinated biphenyl mixture (Aroclor 1254), hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD), and 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA). Two trials were conducted. In trial l, the percent cumulative mortality of juvenile chinook salmon exposed to V. anguillarum after receiving either CHWSE, HCBD, or the model mixture of PAHs ranged from 28% to 31% compared with the 16% observed in the acetone:emulphor control group at 7 d post-bacterial challenge. In trial 2, the net cumulative mortality of juvenile chinook salmon exposed to V. anguillarum after receiving either DMBA or Aroclor 1254 ranged from 46% to 49% compared with the 25% observed in the acetone:emulphor control group at 9 d postchallenge. The differences in mortality between groups of fish in the treated and control groups in both trials were significant at P 0.05. These findings suggest that a higher predisposition to infection and subsequent disease can occur in salmon exposed to chemical contaminants found in urban estuaries of Puget Sound, WashingtonKeywords: polychlorinated-biphenyls, juveniles, Vibriosis, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, estuarie

Columbia River plume fronts. II. Distribution, abundance, and feeding ecology of juvenile salmon

Well-defined fronts develop at the seaward edge of riverine plumes where suspended materials and planktonic organisms are concentrated by convergent water flows. Riverine plume fronts have been hypothesized to be favorable fish habitats because they can lead to localized prey aggregations. We examined the spatial distribution of juvenile Pacific salmonids Oncorhynchus spp. in and around plankton-rich frontal regions of the Columbia River plume to test the hypothesis that juvenile salmonids aggregate at riverine plume fronts to feed. Juvenile salmonids tended to be abundant in the frontal and plume regions compared to the more marine shelf waters, but this pattern differed among species and was not consistent across the 2 study years. Stomach fullness tended to be higher in the more marine shelf waters than either the front or plume areas, which does not support the hypothesis that salmonids consistently ingest more prey at frontal regions. Many prey organisms were disproportionately abundant at these fronts, but salmon stomach-content analysis did not reveal higher stomach contents at fronts or identify prey groups indicative of feeding in the frontal areas. Although our results indicate that the Columbia River plume influences the distributions of juvenile salmon, our observations do not support the hypothesis that juvenile salmonids congregate to feed at fronts at the leading edge of the Columbia River plume. The short persistence time of these fronts may prevent juvenile salmon from exploiting these food-rich, but ephemeral, features.Keywords: Feeding habits, Distribution, Juvenile salmon, Frontal regions, Columbia River plumeKeywords: Feeding habits, Distribution, Juvenile salmon, Frontal regions, Columbia River plum

Survey of Pathogens in Juvenile Salmon Oncorhynchus Spp. Migrating through Pacific Northwest Estuaries

Although the adverse impact of pathogens on salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest is often discussed and recognized, little is currently known regarding the incidence and corresponding significance of delayed disease-induced mortalities. In the study reported herein, we surveyed the presence and prevalence of selected micro- and macroparasites in out-migrant juvenile coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch and Chinook salmon O. tshawytscha from 12 coastal estuaries in the Pacific Northwest over a 6-year period (1996-2001). The major finding of this study was the widespread occurrence of pathogens in wild salmon from Pacific Northwest estuaries. The six most prevalent pathogens infecting both juvenile Chinook and coho salmon were Renibacterium salmoninarum, Nanophyetus salmincola, an erythrocytic cytoplasmic virus (erythrocytic inclusion body syndrome or erythrocytic necrosis virus), and three gram-negative bacteria (Listonella anguillarum, Yersinia ruckeri, and Aeromonas salmonicida). The most prevalent pathogen in both Chinook and coho salmon was N. salmincola, followed by the pathogens R. salmoninarum and the erythrocytic cytoplasmic virus. Statistically significant differences in the prevalence of R.. salmoninarum and N. salmincola were observed between Chinook and coho salmon. Based on the prevalence of pathogens observed in this study, disease appears to be a potentially significant factor governing the population numbers of salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Development of a detailed understanding of the principal components influencing the ecology of infectious disease will aid in the development of management and control strategies to mitigate disease in and hence further the recovery of salmon stocks listed under the Endangered Species Act