More Young Atlantic Salmon Eaten by Striped Bass than Previously Believed
Striped Bass showing partly digested Atlantic salmon from its gut. With extremely high numbers of Striped Bass, ASF's tracking research is showing they are having a major impact on smolt survival. Photo Greg Dixon
For Immediate Release
Jan. 19, 2018
View the full study here. It can be downloaded free:
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/cjfas-2017-0373#.WmHiOZM-fvc
More Young Atlantic Salmon Eaten by Striped Bass than Previously Believed
Analysis published in scientific journal shows significant predator impact in Miramichi River
ST. ANDREWS - Out-migrating juvenile Atlantic salmon in New Brunswick’s Miramichi River are being consumed by striped bass at a much higher rate than previously believed.
A new study published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences suggests approximately 18 per cent of juvenile Atlantic salmon from the Northwest branch of the Miramichi River are eaten in some years as they attempt to migrate through the estuary. Inferred predation rates for salmon smolts leaving the Southwest branch of the Miramichi River were lower, but still significant as described below.
Researchers from the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF), Quebec’s Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada used four years of acoustic tracking data to model the interaction of striped bass and Atlantic salmon.
Tiny acoustic transmitters were inserted into the abdominal cavity of 514 salmon smolt from 2013-2016. One hundred and ten striped bass were tagged in the fall of 2013.
Receivers to detect the surgically implanted transmitters were placed throughout the Southwest and Northwest Miramichi rivers, in Miramichi Bay, and across the Strait of Belle Isle, approximately 780 kilometres away.
First, the movement of each species was analyzed to determine typical patterns. Then the abnormal movement of some tagged smolt was compared to the known profile of striped bass.
“We noticed some of the tagged smolt would exhibit behaviours very similar to those of striped bass,” said ASF biologist Jason Daniels, the study’s lead author. “Using statistical models, we determined the likelihood that these salmon, along with their acoustic tags, had been consumed by striped bass.”
While Atlantic salmon throughout the Gulf of St. Lawrence have experienced a multi-decade decline in abundance, striped bass have exploded from less that 5,000 spawning adults in the 1990s to approximately 318,000 in 2016.
The Gulf of St. Lawrence striped bass population has only one known successful spawning location, below the head of tide in the Northwest Miramichi River. The spawning aggregation of striped bass overlaps with the out-migration of salmon smolts.
As a result, the Northwest Miramichi suffered average predation rates of 15.3 per cent during the study compared to 8.6 per cent for the Southwest branch, where juvenile salmon are less exposed to the concentration of striped bass. Comparisons also indicate an effect on the overall juvenile population.
“Since striped bass numbers began to climb we’ve seen consistent declines in the survival of Miramichi salmon smolts, a trend that is not apparent on ASFs other Gulf of St. Lawrence study rivers, the Restigouche and Cascapedia.” said Daniels.
While striped bass predation of juvenile Atlantic salmon has increased, the study authors state most Atlantic salmon mortality still occurs beyond the estuary.
- 30 -
View the full study here. It can be downloaded free:
http://www.nrcresearchpress.co...
For more information contact:
Neville Crabbe
506-467-6804
ncrabbe@asf.ca
The Atlantic Salmon Federation was founded in 1948 with the goal of conserving and restoring wild Atlantic salmon stocks throughout the North Atlantic. Our federation includes provincial and state councils, and affiliate groups throughout Eastern Canada and New England, representing thousands of members and volunteers
Jan. 19, 2018
View the full study here. It can be downloaded free:
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/cjfas-2017-0373#.WmHiOZM-fvc
More Young Atlantic Salmon Eaten by Striped Bass than Previously Believed
Analysis published in scientific journal shows significant predator impact in Miramichi River
ST. ANDREWS - Out-migrating juvenile Atlantic salmon in New Brunswick’s Miramichi River are being consumed by striped bass at a much higher rate than previously believed.
A new study published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences suggests approximately 18 per cent of juvenile Atlantic salmon from the Northwest branch of the Miramichi River are eaten in some years as they attempt to migrate through the estuary. Inferred predation rates for salmon smolts leaving the Southwest branch of the Miramichi River were lower, but still significant as described below.
Researchers from the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF), Quebec’s Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada used four years of acoustic tracking data to model the interaction of striped bass and Atlantic salmon.
Tiny acoustic transmitters were inserted into the abdominal cavity of 514 salmon smolt from 2013-2016. One hundred and ten striped bass were tagged in the fall of 2013.
Receivers to detect the surgically implanted transmitters were placed throughout the Southwest and Northwest Miramichi rivers, in Miramichi Bay, and across the Strait of Belle Isle, approximately 780 kilometres away.
First, the movement of each species was analyzed to determine typical patterns. Then the abnormal movement of some tagged smolt was compared to the known profile of striped bass.
“We noticed some of the tagged smolt would exhibit behaviours very similar to those of striped bass,” said ASF biologist Jason Daniels, the study’s lead author. “Using statistical models, we determined the likelihood that these salmon, along with their acoustic tags, had been consumed by striped bass.”
While Atlantic salmon throughout the Gulf of St. Lawrence have experienced a multi-decade decline in abundance, striped bass have exploded from less that 5,000 spawning adults in the 1990s to approximately 318,000 in 2016.
The Gulf of St. Lawrence striped bass population has only one known successful spawning location, below the head of tide in the Northwest Miramichi River. The spawning aggregation of striped bass overlaps with the out-migration of salmon smolts.
As a result, the Northwest Miramichi suffered average predation rates of 15.3 per cent during the study compared to 8.6 per cent for the Southwest branch, where juvenile salmon are less exposed to the concentration of striped bass. Comparisons also indicate an effect on the overall juvenile population.
“Since striped bass numbers began to climb we’ve seen consistent declines in the survival of Miramichi salmon smolts, a trend that is not apparent on ASFs other Gulf of St. Lawrence study rivers, the Restigouche and Cascapedia.” said Daniels.
While striped bass predation of juvenile Atlantic salmon has increased, the study authors state most Atlantic salmon mortality still occurs beyond the estuary.
- 30 -
View the full study here. It can be downloaded free:
http://www.nrcresearchpress.co...
For more information contact:
Neville Crabbe
506-467-6804
ncrabbe@asf.ca
The Atlantic Salmon Federation was founded in 1948 with the goal of conserving and restoring wild Atlantic salmon stocks throughout the North Atlantic. Our federation includes provincial and state councils, and affiliate groups throughout Eastern Canada and New England, representing thousands of members and volunteers
