Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Occurrence of Salmincola sp. on brook charr Salvelinus fontinalis in Lake Superior

  • CHARR III
  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Salmincola sp. infect fishes of the family Salmonidae and can negatively affect host health. The parasite–host relationship was examined between Salmincola sp. and a remnant population of brook charr on Isle Royale, Lake Superior. A total of 573 brook charr were collected using boat-mounted electrofishing and angling from 2005 to 2017. Macroscopic examination revealed copepod (Salmincola sp.) infections on gills and fins. Field identifications were confirmed for a subsample of parasites in the laboratory. The preferred attachment location was on the gills, with infections on fins being rare and likely a spillover from large infections in the primary location. Host size was a significant predictor of Salmincola prevalence and parasite load. The distribution of lice within the Tobin Harbor brook charr population was atypical of parasite distributions, because few hosts were uninfected. Gill tissue damage was present in heavily infected fish, but host condition did not vary among Salmincola classifications. The Tobin Harbor brook charr population is highly susceptible to Salmincola infections and infestations are reaching levels that could be influencing host health and future population growth and sustainability.

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

  • Amundsen, P.-A., R. Kristoffersen, R. Knudsen & A. Klemetsen, 1997. Infection of Salmincola edwardsii (Copepoda: Lernaeopodidae) in an age-structured population of Arctic Charr – a long-term study. Journal of Fish Biology 51: 1033–1046.

    Google Scholar 

  • Austin, J. A. & S. M. Colman, 2007. Lake Superior summer water temperatures are increasing more rapidly than regional air temperatures: a positive ice-albedo feedback. Geophysical Research Letters 34: L06604. https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL029021.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barndt, S. & J. Stone, 2003. Infestation of Salmincola californiensis (Copepoda: Lernaeopodidae) in wild coho salmon, steelhead, and coastal cutthroat trout juveniles in a small Columbia River tributary. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 132: 1027–1032.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Black, G. A., 1982. Gills as an attachment site for Salmincola edwardsii (Copepoda: Lernaeopodidae). Journal of Parasitology 68: 1172–1173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Black, G. A., W. L. Montgomery & F. G. Whoriskey, 1983. Abundance and distribution of Salmincola edwardsii (Copepoda) on anadromous brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill), in the Moisie River system, Quebec. Journal of Fish Biology 22: 567–575.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowen, C. A. & R. M. Stedman, 1990. Host–parasite relationships and geographic distribution of Salmincola corpulentus (Copepoda: Lernaeopodidae) on bloater (Coregonus hoyi) stocks in Lake Huron. Canadian Journal of Zoology 68: 1988–1994.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hargis, L. N., J. M. Lepak, E. M. Vigil & C. Gunn, 2014. Prevalence and intensity of the parasitic copepod (Salmincola californiensis) on kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in a reservoir in Colorado. The Southwestern Naturalist 59: 126–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, G. L., 1999. Parasites of North American freshwater fishes. Cornell University Press, Ithaca: 539.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huckins, C. J., E. A. Baker, K. D. Fausch & J. B. K. Leonard, 2008. Ecology and life history of coaster brook trout and potential bottlenecks in their rehabilitation. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 28: 1321–1342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hyatt, M. H. & W. A. Hubert, 2001. Proposed standard-weight equation for brook trout. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 21: 253–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kabata, Z., 1969. Revision of the genus Salmincola Wilson, 1915 (Copepoda:Lernaeopodidae). Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 26: 2987–3041.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kusnierz, P. C., S. P. Stimmell & J. B. K. Leonard, 2014. Migration, size, and age structure of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) from two Lake Superior tributaries. The American Midland Naturalist 172: 119–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGladdery, S. E. & C. E. Johnston, 1988. Egg development and control of the gill parasite, Salmincola salmoneus, on atlantic salmon kelts (Salmo salar) exposed to four different regimes of temperature and photoperiod. Aquaculture 68: 193–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, L. M., D. R. Schreiner, J. E. Blankenheim, M. C. Ward, H. R. Quinlan & S. Moore, 2016. Effects of restrictive harvest regulations on rehabilitation of coaster brook trout in Minnesota’s portion of Lake Superior. Journal of Great Lakes Research 42: 883–892.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitro, M., 2016. Brook trout, brown trout, and ectoparasitic copepods Salmincola edwardsii: species interactions as a proximate cause of brook trout loss under changing environmental conditions. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 145: 1223–1233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monzyk, F. R., T. A. Friesen & J. D. Romer, 2015. Infection of juvenile salmonids by Salmincola californiensis (Copepoda: Lernaeopodidae) in reservoirs and streams of the Willamette River Basin, Oregon. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 144: 891–902.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mucha, J. M. & R. W. Mackereth, 2008. Habitat use and movement patterns of brook trout in Nipigon Bay, Lake Superior. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 137: 1203–1212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neumann, R. M., C. S. Guy & D. W. Willis, 2012. Length, weight, and associated indices. In Zale, A. V., D. L. Parrish & T. M. Sutton (eds), Fisheries Techniques, 3rd ed. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda: 637–670.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poulin, R., M. A. Curtis & M. E. Rau, 1991. Size, behaviour, and acquisition of ectoparasitic copepods by brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis. Oikos 61: 169–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Core Team, 2017. R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz, C. F., J. M. Rash, D. A. Besler, J. R. Roberts, M. B. Warren, C. R. Arias & S. A. Bullard, 2017. Exotic “gill lice” species (Copepoda: Lernaeopodidae: Salmincola spp.) infect rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in the southeastern United States. Journal of Parasitology 103: 377–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schreiner, D. R., K. I. Cullis, M. C. Donofrio, G. J. Fischer, L. Hewitt, K. G. Mumford, D. M. Pratt, H. Quinlan & S. J. Scott, 2008. Management perspectives on coaster brook trout rehabilitation in the Lake Superior basin. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 28: 1350–1364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, W. B. & E. J. Crossman, 1973. Freshwater Fishes of Canada. Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Ottawa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scribner, K., C. Huckins, E. Baker & J. Kanefsky, 2012. Genetic relationships and gene flow between resident and migratory brook trout in Salmon Trout River. Journal of Great Lakes Research 38: 152–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sutherland, D. R. & D. D. Wittrock, 1985. The effects of Salmincola californiensis (Copepoda: Lernaeopodidae) on the gills of farm-raised rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri. Canadian Journal of Zoology 63: 2893–2901.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vigil, E. M., K. R. Christianson, J. M. Lepak & P. J. Williams, 2016. Temperature effects on hatching and viability of juvenile gill lice, Salmincola californiensis. Journal of Fish Diseases 39: 899–905.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, C. C., W. Stott, L. Miller, S. D’Amelio, M. J. Jennings & A. M. Cooper, 2008. Conservation genetics of Lake Superior brook trout: issues, questions, and directions. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 28: 1307–1320.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the many individuals that contributed to field work from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ashland Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, Jay Glase of National Park Service, Seth Moore and E.J. Isaac of Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, George Madison of Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and volunteers Cyndi Glase and Bill Heart. We also thank Mark Romanski and many other individuals from Isle Royale National Park for logistic assistance over many years. The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ashland Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, 2800 Lake Shore Drive East, Ashland, WI, 54806, USA

    Evan C. Boone & Henry R. Quinlan

Authors
  1. Evan C. Boone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Henry R. Quinlan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Evan C. Boone.

Additional information

Guest editors: C. E. Adams, C. R. Bronte, M. J. Hansen, R. Knudsen & M. Power / Charr Biology, Ecology and Management

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Boone, E.C., Quinlan, H.R. Occurrence of Salmincola sp. on brook charr Salvelinus fontinalis in Lake Superior. Hydrobiologia 840, 301–308 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3871-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3871-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation