Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS42 American Fisheries Society/ASLO Joint Session: Scaling Fisheries From Egg to Adult and Back Again (Spatial and Temporal Connections)

Date: Wednesday, February 14, 2001, Time: 4:45:00 PM

Location: Sandia/Santa Ana

Petersen, J, H, US Geol. Surv., WFRC, Columbia River Research Laboratory, Cook, WA, USA, jim_petersen@usgs.gov

Kitchell, J, F, Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA,

CLIMATE CHANGE, WATER TEMPERATURE, AND PREDATION ON JUVENILE SALMON IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER

Growth rates of Pacific salmon populations are especially sensitive to mortality during early life stages when fish occur in both freshwater and nearshore marine environments. During 1933 through 1996, oceanic, coastal, and freshwater indices of climate were highly correlated. A streamflow index derived for the Columbia River Basin suggested that significant climate changes occurred in 1946, 1958, 1969, and 1977. Water temperature in the Columbia River was different among the climate regime periods. Using a bioenergetics model for northern pikeminnow, the most important freshwater predator on salmon, predation loss was 26-31% higher during two periods with relatively warm spring-summer water temperatures (1933-1946, 1978-1996) than during an extremely cold period (1947-1958). Predation loss due to northern pikeminnow was 68-96% higher in the warmest year compared to the coldest year. Predation due to walleye and smallmouth bass was similar to losses predicted for northern pikeminnow. Climate changes in the North Pacific Ocean are likely important to various factors regulating freshwater growth and survival of salmon.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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