Size at Release, Size‐Selective Mortality, and Age of Maturity of Willamette River Hatchery Yearling Chinook Salmon
Open accessAbstract
We analyzed scales from returning Willamette River yearling Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha to explore the effects of size at release on subsequent adult returns. We tested the hypothesis that survival to adulthood is independent of size at ocean entry for yearling Chinook salmon. Significant size‐selective mortality, indicated by a larger size at ocean entry among surviving adults than among all released juveniles, was observed for Chinook salmon released in 2002–2004 but not for those released in 2005. Juvenile Chinook salmon released in 2002–2004 that entered the ocean at less than 150 mm in fork length were underrepresented in the returning adult populations. We also investigated the relationships between age at maturity and size at ocean entry, timing of release, circulus spacing, and size at the end of the first ocean year. We observed significant differences in fork length at the end of the first ocean winter among returning age‐4, ‐5, and ‐6 Chinook salmon; the younger returning fish were larger after their first year of ocean growth. Fork length at ocean entry and average first‐ocean‐year circulus spacing were significantly greater for age‐4 than for age‐5 and age‐6 Chinook salmon but were similar for age‐5 and age‐6 fish. Our analyses indicate that yearling Chinook salmon may experience size‐selective mortality, although the relationship between the intensity of size‐selective mortality and smolt‐to‐adult survival remains unclear.
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Several recent studies have demonstrated that the ocean survival of Columbia River steelhead and Chinook Salmon is positively related to juvenile length or growth rates at ocean entry.
“Several recent studies have demonstrated that the ocean survival of Columbia River steelhead and Chinook Salmon is positively related to juvenile length or growth rates at ocean entry (Claiborne et al. 2011;Wilson et al. 2021;Gosselin et al. 2022;Norrie et al. 2022).”
From Life in the Fast Lane: Feeding and Growth of Juvenile Steelhead and Chinook Salmon in <scp>Main‐Stem</scp> Habitats of the Columbia River Estuary (2022) · cites this paper as Claiborne et al. 2011
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Woodson, L., Wells, B., Weber, P. M., MacFarlane, R. B., Whitman, G. E., & Johnson, R. (2013) · Marine Ecology Progress Series · doi:10.3354/meps10353 · Cited by 113 · see citing works
“Following Claiborne et al. (2011) we used a Wilcoxon rank sum test to compare distributions.”
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Bourret, S. L., Caudill, C. C., & Keefer, M. L. (2016) · Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries · doi:10.1007/s11160-016-9432-3 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
“The timing of juvenile migration into an estuary, duration of estuarine residence, and smolt size at ocean entry have all been linked to variability in the survival of Chinook salmon to the adult life stage (Reimers 1971; Greene and Beechie 2004; Scheuerell 2005; Claiborne et al. 2011).”
BackgroundWelch, D., Porter, A. D., & Rechisky, E. L. (2020) · Fish and Fisheries · doi:10.1111/faf.12514 · Cited by 55
“The reasons for poor marine survival of Chinook are likely multiple, with mechanisms proposed in the last decade alone including: growth (Claiborne et al., 2011; Duffy & Beauchamp, 2011; Graham et al., 2019; Howard, Murphy, Wilson, Moss, & Farley, 2016; Lewis et al., 2015; Losee et al., 2014; MacFarlane, 2010; Miller…”
BackgroundAnomalous ocean conditions in 2015: impacts on spring Chinook salmon and their prey field
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“There is a short window of time for this early marine growth to occur, and if food resources are insufficient, there is evidence that sizeselective mortality occurs (Claiborne et al. 2011) and that the returns of the adult spring-run Chinook salmon to the river system 2 yr later are suppressed.”
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“…individuals that survive to adulthood were often larger than average as juveniles (Beamish et al. 2004; Zabel and Achord 2004; Moss et al. 2005; Claiborne et al. 2011; Thompson and Beauchamp 2014), and growth rates during initial marine residence are often correlated with survival in both…”
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“Because predation pressure and selective mortality may be higher in smaller or slower growing fish, rapid growth may provide a survival advantage during ontogeny (Zabel and Williams 2002; Claiborne et al. 2011; Duffy and Beauchamp 2011).”
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“Since mortality for juvenile Chinook salmon may be size-selective in their early marine life (Claiborne et al. 2011, Duffy & Beauchamp 2011, Woodson et al. 2013), the shift to feeding on higher-quality fish prey may be important for their overall survival rates.”
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“Several recent studies have demonstrated that the ocean survival of Columbia River steelhead and Chinook Salmon is positively related to juvenile length or growth rates at ocean entry (Claiborne et al. 2011; Wilson et al. 2021; Gosselin et al. 2022; Norrie et al. 2022).”
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Background
- Authors
- Claiborne, A. M., Fisher, J. P., Hayes, S. A., & Emmett, R. L.
- Affiliations
- Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (US)
- Oregon State University (US)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US)
- Corresponding author
- Claiborne, Andrew M.
- Venue
- Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2011-07
- Volume
- 140
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 1135-1144
- ISSN
- 0002-8487 (ISSN-L)
- 1548-8659
- OpenAlex
- W2089790623
- Cited by
- 64
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 2.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Fish Ecology and Management Studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Marine and fisheries research
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Fish Biology and Ecology Studies
- Keywords
- Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, size-selective mortality, age at maturity, smolt-to-adult survival, adult returns, Willamette River
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