Synopsis
The migration of grayling was studied in Lake Mjøsa and 13 of its tributaries in which grayling spawn. The study demonstrate that grayling spawn in creeks in May/June and leave for Lake Mjøsa shortly after spawning to return the next spring. Once mature, the grayling spawn every year. Grayling mix in the lake and are found at a mean distance of 11.9 km from the estuary of their spawning creek in September. Grayling embryos hatch in June and the juveniles stay in the tributaries until September/October. Grayling spend the winter months in the lake. Out of 1599 grayling tagged in tributaries during the spawning season, 240 of 284 recaptures (84.5%) were made in subsequent spawning seasons in the same tributary in which they were first tagged. Forty-four grayling were recaptured in adjacent tributaries. These results demonstrate that, despite the fact that all grayling leave the tributaries and mix in the lake, there is a high precision of homing. It is suggested that the grayling population in lake Mjøsa is composed of stocks using specific tributaries for spawning.
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Kristiansen, H., Dølving, K.B. The migration of spawning stocks of graylingThymallus thymallus, in Lake Mjøsa, Norway. Environ Biol Fish 47, 43–50 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00002378
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00002378