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Salmon and sea trout spawning migration in the River Tweed: telemetry-derived insights for management

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Abstract

Management of multiple exploited stocks of anadromous salmonids in large catchments requires understanding of movement and catchment use by the migrating fish and of their harvesting. The spawning migration of sea trout (Salmo trutta) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) was studied in the River Tweed, UK, using acoustic telemetry to complement exploitation rate data and to quantify catchment penetration. Salmon (n = 79) and sea trout (n = 65) were tagged in the tidal-influenced Tweed in summer–autumn. No tagged salmon left the river before spawning, but 3% (2010) and 8% (2011) of pre-spawning sea trout dropped out. Combined tag regurgitation/fish mortality in salmon was 12.5%, while trout mortality was 6% (2010) and 0% (2011). The estimated spawning positions of salmon and sea trout differed; tagged salmon were mostly in the main channel while trout occurred mostly in the upper Tweed and tributaries. Early fish migrated upstream slower than later fish, but sea trout moved through the lower-middle river more quickly than salmon, partly supporting the hypothesis that the lower exploitation rate in autumn of trout (1 vs 3.3% for salmon) there is generated by differences in migration behaviour.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Living North Sea project and the Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme. We thank the landowners, river boatmen and angling clubs involved in the work for allowing us to place logging equipment in their waters as well as their help and advice. We also thank River Tweed Commission Bailiffs Alan Davidson, Eric Hastings and Kenny Graham for help retrieving logging equipment from the estuary. Thanks are also due to Nick Yonge, Fay Hieatt, James Hunt and Kenny Galt at the Tweed Foundation for their help and support during this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

    N. R. Gauld & M. C. Lucas

  2. The Tweed Foundation, Drygrange Steading, Melrose, TD6 9DJ, UK

    N. R. Gauld & R. N. B. Campbell

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  1. N. R. Gauld
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  2. R. N. B. Campbell
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Correspondence to N. R. Gauld.

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Gauld, N.R., Campbell, R.N.B. & Lucas, M.C. Salmon and sea trout spawning migration in the River Tweed: telemetry-derived insights for management. Hydrobiologia 767, 111–123 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2481-0

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