Inhibition of smolting in precocious male chinook salmon, <i>Oncorhynchus tshawytscha</i>

Abstract

The ontogeny of precocious maturation in chinook salmon from Nicola River, British Columbia, was examined in conjunction with the effects of such maturation on smoltification and growth. A high proportion (56%) of male parr matured as yearlings. The growth patterns of precocious males and nonmaturing individuals of both sexes differed significantly. Precocious males appeared to grow rapidly relative to nonmaturing individuals in the early spring, but thereafter displayed a decreasing specific growth rate. In addition, precocious individuals gained more weight per increment of body length than nonmaturing individuals. The seawater adaptability of precocious individuals was lower than that of nonmaturing individuals at the three monthly sampling periods and decreased steadily as maturation proceeded.