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The effect of environmental conditions on Atlantic salmon smolts’ (Salmo salar) bioenergetic requirements and migration through an inland sea

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Abstract

The timing of the juvenile Atlantic salmon ocean-entry is considered a critical stage in the species’ life-history. Entry into the ocean at suboptimal times can have negative survival impacts on entire smolt cohorts. Previous studies have identified smolt residency time in the Bras d’Or Lakes as highly variable and correlated with body condition. This study combines energetic modelling using Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory with acoustic telemetry to mechanistically link smolt bioenergetics to their migration strategy within the Bras d’Or. This study examines two main questions: 1) what is the relationship between smolts’ bioenergetics and smolts’ migration strategy, and 2) what effect would warmer water temperature have on smolts’ energetic requirements? Simulation results indicate that smolts requiring more food are more likely to exit the Bras d’Or during the observation period. The results also suggest higher lake temperature would result in faster depletion of smolt energy reserves, which is predicted to favour smolts migrating to the ocean sooner.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support for this study was provided by the Aboriginal Fund for Species at Risk to S.D., the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s (NSERC), and the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s awards to the Ocean Tracking Network. Additional support was provided by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant to G.T.C. We thank the staff at the Margaree Fish Hatchery (Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture) for assistance in the collection of growth data for Middle River parr; the Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources for their collaboration with the smolt tagging project; and the Bras d’Or Institute (Cape Breton University) for maintenance of the receiver array and the collection of tag tracking data as well as oceanographic measurements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada

    Leah C. Strople, Xavier Bordeleau, Frederick G. Whoriskey & Glenn T. Crossin

  2. Marine Affairs Program, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada

    Ramón Filgueira

  3. Bras d’Or Institute for Ecosystem Research, Cape Breton University, Sydney, NS, Canada

    Bruce G. Hatcher

  4. Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources, Eskasoni, NS, Canada

    Shelley Denny

  5. Ocean Tracking Network, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada

    Frederick G. Whoriskey

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  1. Leah C. Strople
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  2. Ramón Filgueira
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  3. Bruce G. Hatcher
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  4. Shelley Denny
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  7. Glenn T. Crossin
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Correspondence to Leah C. Strople.

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Strople, L.C., Filgueira, R., Hatcher, B.G. et al. The effect of environmental conditions on Atlantic salmon smolts’ (Salmo salar) bioenergetic requirements and migration through an inland sea. Environ Biol Fish 101, 1467–1482 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-018-0792-5

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