Exposure to high temperature influences the behaviour, physiology, and survival of sockeye salmon during spawning migration

Abstract

Since 1996, some populations of Fraser River sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka Walbaum in Artedi, 1792) have begun spawning migrations weeks earlier than normal, and most perish en route as a result. We suspect that a high midsummer river temperature is the principal cause of mortality. We intercepted 100 sockeye during normal migration near a spawning stream and measured somatic energy and aspects of plasma biochemistry. Fish were then held at either 10 or 18 °C for 24 days. Before release, fish were biopsied again and implanted with acoustic transmitters. A group of biopsied but untreated control salmon were released at the same time. Sixty-two percent (8 of 13) of control salmon and 68% (21 of 31) of 10 °C salmon reached spawning areas. The 18 °C-treated fish were half as successful (35%; 6 of 17). During the holding period, mortality was 2 times higher and levels of Parvicapsula minibicornis (Kent, Whitaker and Dawe, 1997) infection were higher in the 18 °C-treated group than in the 10 °C-treated group. The only physiological difference between treatments was a change in gill Na + ,K + -ATPase activity. This drop correlated negatively with travel times for the 18 °C-treated males. Reproductive-hormone levels and stress measures did not differ between treatments but showed significant correlations with individual travel times.