Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Brook charr mortalities during extreme temperature events in Sutton River, Hudson Bay Lowlands, Canada

  • CHARR
  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Fish die-offs during warming events have rarely or ever been recorded within arctic watersheds. The 2001 mortality of anadromous brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis) in the Sutton River in the Hudson Bay Lowlands may be the first documented case of an increasing number of such events, as climate warming affects north latitude systems. Warm air temperatures (daily maximums >30°C) combined with unusual thermal stratification conditions in the upstream lake appeared to have created the lethal conditions, but changing marine environments likely triggered the event. This highly productive brook charr population depends heavily on the local marine environment, not only for food, but also to moderate the continental climate of the region. The steadily shortening ice season in Hudson Bay appears to be greatly increasing the vulnerability of anadromous stocks to warming events.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA), 2004. Impacts of a Warming Arctic – Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atse, C. B., C. Audet & J. de la Noüe, 2002. Effect of temperature and salinity on the reproductive success of Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpines (L.): egg composition, milt characteristics and fry survival. Aquaculture Research 33: 299–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bacher, D., 2004. The American River’s Hidden Fish Kill: 181,000 Salmon Die Before Spawning. Dissident Voice Aug. 14, 2004. http://dissidentvoice.org/Aug04/Bacher0814.htm.

  • Blaxter, J. H. S., 1988. Pattern and variety of development. In Hoar, S. & D. J. Randall (eds) Fish Physiology, Vol. XIAW. Academic Press, San Diego, CA, USA: 1–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherry, D. S., K. L. Dickson & J. Cairns Jr., 1975. Temperatures selected and avoided by fish and various acclimation temperatures. Journal of Fisheries Research Board of Canada 32: 485–491.

    Google Scholar 

  • Curry, R. A., J. van de Sande & F. G. Whoriskey Jr., 2006. Temporal and spatial habitats of anadromous brook charr in the Laval River and its estuary. Environmental Biology of Fishes 76: 361–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Derocher, A. E., N. J. Lunn & I. Stirling, 2004. Polar Bears in a warming climate. Integrative and Comparative Biology 44: 163–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dutil, J. D. & G. Power, 1980. Coastal populations of brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, in Lac Guillaume-Delise (Richmond Gulf) Quebec. Canadian Journal of Zoology 58: 1828–1835.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eaton, J. G. & R. M. Scheller, 1996. Effects of climate warming on thermal habitat in streams of the United States. Limnology and Oceanography 41: 1109–1115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Etkin, D. A., 1991. Break-up in Hudson Bay: its sensitivity to air temperatures and implications for climate warming. Climatological Bulletin 25: 21–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fry, F. E. J., J. S. Hart & K. F. Walker, 1946. Lethal temperature relations for a sample of young speckled trout, Salvelinus fontinalis. Publications of the Ontario Fisheries Research Laboratory 54: 9–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gagnon, A. S. & W. A. Gough, 2005. Trends in the dates of ice freeze-up and breakup over Hudson Bay, Canada. Arctic 58: 370–382.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glooschenko, W. O. & I. P. Martini, 1978. Hudson Bay Lowlands baseline study. In Proceedings of the Symposium on Technical, Environmental, Socioeconomic and Regulatory Aspects of Coastal Zone Management ‘78, San Francisco, CA, March 14–16. American Society of Civil Engineers, New York, NY: 663–679.

  • Gough, W. A. & A. Leung, 2002. Nature and fate of Hudson Bay permafrost. Regional Environmental Change 2: 177–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gough, W. A., A. R. Cornwell & L. J. S. Tsuji, 2004. Trends in seasonal sea ice duration in Southwestern Hudson Bay. Arctic 57: 299–305.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gross, M. R., R. M. Coleman & R. M. McDowell, 1988. Aquatic production and the evolution of diadromous fish migration. Science 239: 1291–1293.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, J. A., G. M. W. Cronkite, H. J. Enzenhofer & T. J. Mulligan, 2006. Accuracy and precision of fish-count data from a “dual-frequency identification sonar” (DIDSON) imaging system. ICES Journal of Marine Science 63: 543–555.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houston, A. H., 1982. Thermal Effects Upon Fishes. Publication No. 18566. National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jobling, M., H. K. Johnsen, G. W. Pettersen & R. J. Henderson, 1995. Effect of temperature on reproductive development in Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus (L). Journal of Thermal Biology 20: 157–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lambert, Y. & J. J. Dodson, 1990. Freshwater migration as a determinant factor in the somatic cost of reproduction of two anadromous coregonines of James Bay. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 47: 318–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, D. M., A. G. Slater, R. A. Tomas, M. M. Holland & C. Deser, 2008. Accelerated Arctic land warming and permafrost degradation during rapid sea ice loss. Geophysical Research Letters 35: L115061–L115066.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malette, M. D., 1993. Growth and anadromy of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchell)) from Sutton River, Hudson Bay Lowland. MSc Thesis, Biology Department, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Canada.

  • McCormick, S. D. & R. J. Naiman, 1984. Osmoregulation in brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis–II. Effects of size, age and photoperiod on seawater survival and ionic regulation. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 79A: 17–28.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McKendry, I. & N. Roulet, 1994. Sea breezes and advective effects in southwest James Bay. Journal of Geophysical Research 99: 1623–1634.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meisner, J. D., 1990. Effects of climatic warming on the southern margins of the native range of brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 47: 1065–1070.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monette, A., D. Dallaire, M. Mingelbier, D. Groman, C. Uhland, J.-P. Richard, G. Paillard, L. M. Johannson, D. P. Chivers, H. W. Ferguson, F. A. Leighton & E. Simko, 2006. Massive mortality of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio carpio) in the St. Lawrence River in 2001: diagnostic investigation and experimental induction of lymphocytic encephalitis. Veterinary Pathology 43: 302–310.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Power, G., 1980. The brook charr, Salvelinus fontinalis. In Balon, E. K. (ed.), Perspectives in Vertebrate Science, Vol I Charrs: Salmonid Fishes of the Genus Salvelinus. W. Junk, B.V. Pub., The Hague: 141–203.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quinn, T. & W. Leggett, 1987. Perspectives on the marine migrations of diadromous fishes. American Fisheries Society Symposium 1: 377–388.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roche-Mayzaud, O., P. Mayzaud & C. Audet, 1998. Changes in lipid classes and trypsin activity during the early development of brook charr, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill), fry. Aquaculture Research 29: 137–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rounsefell, G., 1958. Anadromy in North American Salmonidae. US Fish and Wildlife Service Fishery Bulletin 58: 171–185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rouse, W. R., M. S. V. Douglas, R. E. Hecky, A. E. Hershey, G. W. Kling, L. Lesack, P. Marsh, M. McDonald, B. J. Nicholson, N. T. Roulet & J. P. Smol, 1997. Effects of climate change on the freshwaters of arctic and subartic North America. Hydrological Processes 11: 873–902.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schindler, D. W., 2001. The cumulative effects of climate warming and other human stresses on Canadian freshwaters. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 58: 18–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, W. B. & E. J. Crossman, 1973. Freshwater Fishes of Canada. Bulletin of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 184. Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa, Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sella, G. F., S. Stein, T. H. Dixon, M. Craymer, T. S. James, S. Mazzoti & R. K. Dota, 2007. Observations of glacial isostatic adjustment in “stable” North America with GPS. Geophysical Research Letters 34: L02306–L02307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shuter, B. J., D. A. Schlesinger & A. P. Zimmerman, 1983. Empirical predictors of annual surface water temperature cycles in North American lakes. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 40: 1838–1845.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, M. W. & J. W. Saunders, 1958. Movement of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis, Mitchell) between and within fresh and salt water. Journal of Fisheries Research Board of Canada 15: 1403–1449.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steele, P. O., 1986. Life history strategies of a north temperate salmonid, Salvelinus fontinalis in Polar Bear Provincial Park, Ontario. PhD thesis, Univ. of Western Ontario, London, ON.

  • Tallman, R. F., F. Saurette & T. Thera, 1996. Migration and life history variation in Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus. Écoscience 3: 33–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whoriskey, F. G., R. J. Naiman & W. L. Montgomery, 1981. Experimental sea ranching of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis, Mitchell). Journal of Fish Biology 19: 637–651.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilder, D. G., 1952. A comparative study of anadromous and freshwater populations of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchell)). Journal of Fisheries Research Board of Canada 9: 169–203.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cooperative Freshwater Ecology Unit, Biology Department, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada

    John Gunn

  2. Ontario Ministry of the Environment, 199 Larch Street, Suite 1201, Sudbury, ON, P3E 5P9, Canada

    Ed Snucins

Authors
  1. John Gunn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ed Snucins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to John Gunn.

Additional information

Guest editors: C. Adams, E. Brännas, B. Dempson, R. Knudsen, I. McCarthy, M. Power, I. Winfield / Developments in the Biology, Ecology and Evolution of Charr

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gunn, J., Snucins, E. Brook charr mortalities during extreme temperature events in Sutton River, Hudson Bay Lowlands, Canada. Hydrobiologia 650, 79–84 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0201-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0201-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation