The Residence Time of Juvenile Fraser River Sockeye Salmon in the Strait of Georgia

Abstract

Abstract Mortality in the early marine period in a particular habitat is related to the severity of the factors causing mortality and the time that juvenile Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. spend in the habitat. Juvenile sockeye salmon O. nerka produced in the Fraser River rear in the Strait of Georgia immediately upon leaving freshwater. We used catches from trawl and purse seine surveys to develop two estimates of their average residence time in the Strait of Georgia and present a third estimate which pertains to Chilko Lake smolts in particular. The average time between the entry of the last 1% of juvenile sockeye salmon into the Strait of Georgia and the departure of the last juveniles was 54 d. The average time between the point when the maximum number of juvenile sockeye salmon entered the Strait of Georgia and the point when the maximum abundance in the strait occurred was 43 d. Individuals from the Chilko Lake population were shown to spend a minimum of 31–43 d in the Strait of Georgia, indicating that an average residence time of about 43–54 d is plausible. Received October 7, 2011; accepted April 3, 2012