Residency and Movement of Juvenile Chinook Salmon at Multiple Spatial Scales in a Tidal Marsh of the Columbia River Estuary

Abstract

Use of the Columbia River estuary by juvenile Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. is garnering more attention as managers look to improve salmon survival through estuary restoration. Studies have shown that juvenile salmon are abundant in shallow‐water habitats within the Columbia River estuary, but information on how juveniles exploit specific estuarine habitats is lacking. We used a combination of physical marks and PIT tag technology to record residence time, movement, and growth of juvenile Chinook Salmon O. tshawytscha, particularly subyearlings, within an emergent marsh of the Columbia River estuary during 2005, 2006, and 2008. We documented marsh‐scale residency and movement within the marsh complex and channel‐scale residency and movement within two small secondary channels. Many juvenile Chinook Salmon remained in the marsh for 2–4 weeks and increased in FL by 10–20 mm, with an average growth rate of 0.53 mm/d. Chinook Salmon entered secondary channels most frequently in late afternoon and occasionally did so against the tide. Our results indicate that subyearling Chinook Salmon take advantage of shallow estuarine habitat in the Columbia River to a greater extent than previously documented. Received January 8, 2016; accepted March 21, 2016 Published online June 21, 2016