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The relationship between migration speed and release date for chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta fry exiting a 110-km northern Japanese river

Fisheries Science volume 79, pages 569–577 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

The relationship between release date and migration speed was examined for hatchery chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta fry exiting the Nishibetsu River in eastern Hokkaido, northern Japan so that future releases might be scheduled so that fry arrive at the ocean during periods favoring high survival. Separate marked groups of chum salmon released in early April, mid-April, and early May in 2008, late March and mid-April in 2009, and mid-April in 2010 were recaptured with a rotary screw trap 12 km above the river mouth. Chum salmon in later release groups tended to migrate downstream faster than fish in earlier release groups. Those released after mid-April arrived in the lower river on average 9 days after release, while those released before mid-April arrived on average 26–28 days after release. Most marked fish arrived in the lower river during late April to mid-May. These results suggest that chum salmon are adapted to adjust their migratory speed so as to arrive at the ocean during a relatively discrete period, presumably during a time of high productivity favoring good survival.

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Acknowledgments

We express our sincere thanks to Yoshimi Toda, Yuichi Akiyama, Kotaro Ono, Jun-ichi Nakano, Tetsuo Nakazawa, Shigeo Iguchi, Yoshifumi Shimo, Hitoshi Kawakami, Masayuki Kimura, Masaki Ohno, Takeo Sasaki, and Hiroshi Kakizaki of Nemuro Salmon Enhancement Programs Association, who helped to install the screw trap, and reared chum salmon fry. Yutaka Ogasawara, Toshinori Ohashi, Shinji Kawahara, Katsuhiko Ohashi, Yoshitaka Sasaki, Hiroyuki Sakamoto, and Mahito Miyamoto also assisted with field sampling. Chisato Suzuki, Seiko Ito, Mikiko Minami, and Chikako Shimokawara measured and extracted otoliths. The Nakashibetsu District Public Works Management Office, Kushiro Department of Public Works Management provided discharge data for the Nishibetsu River. We thank Dr. Yasuyuki Miyakoshi for his constructive comments on drafts of this paper, Lana Fitzpatrick for editorial input, and the editor and two anonymous referees for their useful comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Doto Research Branch, Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Research Institute, Hokkaido Research Organization, 3-1-10 Maruyama, Nakashibetsu, Hokkaido, 086-1164, Japan

    Kiyoshi Kasugai & Mitsuru Torao

  2. Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Research Institute, Hokkaido Research Organization, 3-373 Kitakashiwagi-cho, Eniwa, Hokkaido, 061-1433, Japan

    Mitsuhiro Nagata

  3. Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 3190 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6N7, Canada

    James R. Irvine

Authors
  1. Kiyoshi Kasugai
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  2. Mitsuru Torao
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  3. Mitsuhiro Nagata
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  4. James R. Irvine
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Correspondence to Kiyoshi Kasugai.

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Kasugai, K., Torao, M., Nagata, M. et al. The relationship between migration speed and release date for chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta fry exiting a 110-km northern Japanese river. Fish Sci 79, 569–577 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-013-0615-8

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Keywords

  • Chum salmon
  • Downstream migration
  • Release date
  • Hatchery
  • Nishibetsu River