Temperature, salinity and prey availability shape the marine migration of Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus, in a macrotidal estuary

Spares, Aaron D.; Stokesbury, Michael J. W.; O’Dor, R. K.; Dick, Terry A.

doi:10.1007/s00227-012-1949-y

Cited by 59 publications

(86 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Importantly, this result implies that dispersal occurs more frequently along shorelines and not necessarily by the most direct route. This, again, is in line with previous tagging and telemetry work that suggest that most movement occurs near coastal habitats in Arctic char (Moore 1975;Spares et al 2012). Few studies have assessed geographic variables on Arctic population of salmonids and, to our knowledge, none have assessed this in anadromous populations of Arctic char.…”

Section: Fine-scale Population Structure In Cumberland Sound Arctic Charsupporting

confidence: 89%

Geographic influences on fine-scale, hierarchical population structure in northern Canadian populations of anadromous Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus)

et al. 2013

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Assessments of fine-scale population structure in natural populations are important for understanding aspects of ecology, life history variation and evolutionary history and can provide novel insights into resource management. Although Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus, represent one of the most culturally and commercially important salmonids in the Canadian Arctic, fine-scale assessments of genetic structure in northern populations of this species are rare. In this study, we assessed population structure in anadromous Arctic char from Cumberland Sound in Canada's Nunavut territory using 18 microsatellite loci. Specifically, we aimed at identifying potential habitat and landscape/geographic features influencing genetic variation and population structure and resolving potential barriers to gene flow. Overall population structure was moderate (global F ST and Jost's D of 0.042 and 0.236 respectively) and significant among all sampling locations. Habitat and landscape/geographic features, with the exception of fluvial (shoreline) distance, appeared to have little influence on genetic variation and population structure. Bayesian clustering revealed a hierarchical model of population structure, in which the 14 sampling locations were nested within two distinct clusters corresponding to the north and south shores of Cumberland Sound. Both isolation-by-distance analysis and calculations of mean dispersal distance suggest dispersal and gene flow is highest among proximate locations. Finally, several putative barriers to gene flow were identified and one, a putative barrier separating north and south Cumberland Sound, was consistent with the hierarchical STRUC-TURE results. Our results suggest that the current river-specific management of commercially harvested Arctic char is appropriate. Overall, we provide further insights into the evolution of genetic variation and population structure in iteroparous, Arctic salmonids.

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Section: Fine-scale Population Structure In Cumberland Sound Arctic Charsupporting

confidence: 89%

Geographic influences on fine-scale, hierarchical population structure in northern Canadian populations of anadromous Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus)

et al. 2013

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“…1) predominantly resided in or migrated out of Wellington Bay, and if they left, the timing of their departure and the direction they took once leaving the area. Third, we tested the hypothesis that tagged Arctic char preferred nearshore and estuarine habitats as opposed to offshore habitats, as suggested by previous studies (Dempson and Kristofferson 1987;Spares et al 2012Spares et al , 2015Jensen et al 2014). Furthermore, the largest commercial fishery for wild anadromous Arctic char in Canada operates in this region and targets several different stocks defined on a river- Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…A period of estuarine residency follows marine entry and can last several days, at least until the sea ice is melted (Bégout Anras et al 1999), and others have found that Arctic char may reside close to estuaries for the entire duration of the summer marine phase (Spares et al 2015). Catches of Arctic char in fisheries in nearshore habitats tend to exceed offshore catches (Dempson and Kristofferson 1987;Finstad and Heggberget 1993), and some telemetry data also suggest a preference for nearshore habitats (Spares et al 2012;Jensen et al 2014). Preference for warmer and less saline waters has also been suggested (Bégout Anras et al 1999;Spares et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Catches of Arctic char in fisheries in nearshore habitats tend to exceed offshore catches (Dempson and Kristofferson 1987;Finstad and Heggberget 1993), and some telemetry data also suggest a preference for nearshore habitats (Spares et al 2012;Jensen et al 2014). Preference for warmer and less saline waters has also been suggested (Bégout Anras et al 1999;Spares et al 2012). Mark-recapture studies suggest that distances travelled by Arctic char at sea are typically short, with the majority of recaptures occurring less than 100 km from the tagging location (Dempson and Kristofferson 1987;Berg and Jonsson 1989;Finstad and Heggberget 1993), although some occasional long-distance migration events of more than 300 km have been documented (Jensen and Berg 1977;Dempson and Kristofferson 1987).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Preference for nearshore and estuarine habitats in anadromous Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) from the Canadian high Arctic (Victoria Island, Nunavut) revealed by acoustic telemetry

Moore

Harris

Kessel

et al. 2016

Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

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Abstract:We used an array of fixed acoustic receivers (N = 42) to track the summer marine movements of 121 anadromous Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) equipped with acoustic transmitters at three locations in the Cambridge Bay region, where commercial and subsistence fisheries target the species. The timing of transitions between salt and fresh water was influenced by the putative river of origin of tagged individuals, but not by their size or sex. Females, however, were more likely to remain proximate to rivers where they were tagged throughout the summer. A majority of fish migrated west from their rivers of origin, primarily moving between estuarine environments. Individuals occupied estuaries for several days between bouts of marine movement, and these periods of residency coincided with spring tides in some estuaries. We also recorded increased numbers of detections on receivers located less than 1.5 km from the coast, indicating a preference for nearshore habitats. Finally, we report evidence of extensive stock mixing throughout the summer, including at known fishing locations and periods, a finding with implications for fisheries management.Résumé : Les mouvements estivaux en milieu marin de 121 ombles chevaliers (Salvelinus alpinus) anadromes équipées de transmetteur metteur acoustique issus de trois sites de marquages ont été suivis grâce à un réseau de récepteurs acoustiques (N = 42) ancrés dans la région de Cambridge Bay. Les périodes de transition entre les eaux douces et salées étaient influencées par la rivière d'origine des individus, mais pas par leur taille ou leur sexe. Cependant une proportion plus grande de femelles restait près de leur rivière de capture pour tout l'été. Une majorité d'individus ont migré vers l'ouest se déplaçant d'estuaire en estuaire. Ces périodes de résidence en estuaires duraient souvent plusieurs jours, et coïncidaient avec les marées de vives-eaux dans certains estuaires. Dans toute la zone d'étude, les récepteurs situés à moins de 1,5 km de la côte ont enregistré un plus grand nombre de détections, indiquant une préférence pour les habitats côtiers. Finalement, nos données révèlent un mélange des stocks durant la période estivale, notamment dans des zones et périodes de pêches, un résultat ayant d'importantes répercus-sions pour la gestion des pêches.

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“…Char are omnivorous, feeding mainly on small fishes and benthic organisms in summer, but their diet is highly variable between locations and seasons (Johnson, 1980). They feed in both inter-tidal and sub-tidal habitats (Spares et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spawning, Overwintering and Summer Feeding Habitats Used by Anadromous Arctic Char (<i>Salvelinus alpinus</i>) of the Hornaday River, Northwest Territories, Canada

Harwood¹,

Babaluk²

2014

ARCTIC

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ABSTRACT. Radio telemetry and t-bar tagging were used to locate sites used by Hornaday River Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) for overwintering, spawning, and summer feeding. Thirty char, 21 in August 1995 and nine in July and August 1999, were captured, radio-tagged, and released back into the Hornaday River. Tracking was done over 14 months in 1995 -96 and over three months in 1999, using either aircraft (10 flights) or snowmobiles traveling on the river ice in winter (7 trips). Of 12 radio-tagged char that were relocated during winter 1995 -96 and not caught in the 1995 upstream migration fall fishery, 11 (92%) ultimately overwintered in the reach of the Hornaday between Coalmine and Akluk Creek; three of these did so in consecutive years. This area is characterized by groundwater inputs and deep pools (> 2 m) that do not freeze to the riverbed in winter. Another important overwintering site was found in a similarly deep channel on the west side of the Hornaday River estuary, where half of the char radio-tagged in fall 1999 spent the winter of 1999 -2000. Spawning locations were discerned through circumstantial evidence from the movements of three radio-tagged fish over entire annual cycles. The locations that were indicated as spawning habitat were all in the main stem of the Hornaday River, in deep (> 2 m), groundwater-fed pools between Coalmine and Akluk Creek. Fourteen percent of 239 char t-bar tagged at Pearce Point in July -August 1997 were caught at the mouth of the Hornaday River, on average within 25 days of tagging, which indicates that the nearshore area of Pearce Point, characterized by upwelling and enhanced productivity, is an important summer feeding area for this stock. This identification of overwintering, spawning, and summer feeding habitats contributes to an emerging list of areas for which it would be prudent to monitor habitat quality, change, and integrity given contemporary changes in climate and the potential for near-future anthropogenic activities in this watershed.Key words: Arctic char, Hornaday River, Salvelinus alpinus, migration, Northwest Territories, overwintering, spawning, summer feeding, tagging RÉSUMÉ. La radiotélémesure et les étiquettes en T ont été employées pour repérer les lieux utilisés par l'omble chevalier (Salvelinus alpinus) de la rivière Hornaday pour l'hivernage, le frai et l'alimentation estivale. Trente ombles ont été capturés dans la rivière Hornaday, soit 21 en août 1995 et neuf en juillet et en août 1999. Des radio-émetteurs ont été posés sur ces ombles, après quoi ils ont été relâchés dans la rivière. Nous les avons suivis pendant 14 mois en 1995-1996 ainsi que pendant trois mois en 1999, en avion (dix vols) ou en motoneige sur la glace de la rivière pendant l'hiver (sept expéditions). Parmi les 12 ombles dotés de radio-émetteurs qui ont été relocalisés à l'hiver 1995-1996 et n'ont pas été attrapés pendant la pêche de la montaison automnale en 1995, 11 (92 %) ont fini par passer l'hiver dans le passage de la Hornaday situé entre Coalmine et le ruisseau A...

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Temperature, salinity and prey availability shape the marine migration of Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus, in a macrotidal estuary

Cited by 59 publications

References 36 publications

Geographic influences on fine-scale, hierarchical population structure in northern Canadian populations of anadromous Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus)

Geographic influences on fine-scale, hierarchical population structure in northern Canadian populations of anadromous Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus)

Preference for nearshore and estuarine habitats in anadromous Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) from the Canadian high Arctic (Victoria Island, Nunavut) revealed by acoustic telemetry

Spawning, Overwintering and Summer Feeding Habitats Used by Anadromous Arctic Char (<i>Salvelinus alpinus</i>) of the Hornaday River, Northwest Territories, Canada

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