Event Title

Do chemically contaminated river estuaries in Puget Sound (WA, USA) affect the survival rate of hatchery-reared Chinook salmon?

Presentation Abstract

This study examined the rate of survival for hatchery-reared, ocean-type juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) to the adult life stage in relation to contamination status for estuaries where they temporarily reside. The hypothesis tested here is that juvenile Chinook from Puget Sound (Washington, USA) area hatcheries exhibit differential survival as categorized by the state of contamination in their respective natal estuaries. Data were examined from 20 hatcheries that released fish to 14 local estuaries in the Greater Puget Sound area over 37 years (1972–2008). A parallel analysis was also conducted for coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) outmigrating from many of the same hatcheries. For all years combined, juvenile Chinook transiting contaminated estuaries exhibited an overall rate of survival that was 45% lower than that for Chinook moving through uncontaminated estuaries, which was confirmed when tested year by year. The results for coho originating from the same hatcheries and sharing a similar marine distribution indicated no substantial differences among estuaries. These observations have important implications for wild juvenile Chinook that spend more time in the estuary compared with hatchery-reared fish.

Session Title

Session S-07D: Marine Survival of Salmon and Steelhead: the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project

Conference Track

Species and Food Webs

Conference Name

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)

Document Type

Event

Start Date

1-5-2014 3:30 PM

End Date

1-5-2014 5:00 PM

Location

Room 611-612

Genre/Form

conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)

Contributing Repository

Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Subjects – Topical (LCSH)

Chinook salmon--Mortality--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Hatchery fishes--Mortality--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Chinook salmon--Effect of water pollution on--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Hatchery fishes--Effect of water pollution on--Washington (State)

Geographic Coverage

Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Puget Sound (Wash.)

Rights

This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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COinS
 
May 1st, 3:30 PM May 1st, 5:00 PM

Do chemically contaminated river estuaries in Puget Sound (WA, USA) affect the survival rate of hatchery-reared Chinook salmon?

Room 611-612

This study examined the rate of survival for hatchery-reared, ocean-type juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) to the adult life stage in relation to contamination status for estuaries where they temporarily reside. The hypothesis tested here is that juvenile Chinook from Puget Sound (Washington, USA) area hatcheries exhibit differential survival as categorized by the state of contamination in their respective natal estuaries. Data were examined from 20 hatcheries that released fish to 14 local estuaries in the Greater Puget Sound area over 37 years (1972–2008). A parallel analysis was also conducted for coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) outmigrating from many of the same hatcheries. For all years combined, juvenile Chinook transiting contaminated estuaries exhibited an overall rate of survival that was 45% lower than that for Chinook moving through uncontaminated estuaries, which was confirmed when tested year by year. The results for coho originating from the same hatcheries and sharing a similar marine distribution indicated no substantial differences among estuaries. These observations have important implications for wild juvenile Chinook that spend more time in the estuary compared with hatchery-reared fish.