Anders Koed

Net ground speed of downstream migrating radio-tagged Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) and brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) smolts in relation to environmental factors

The downstream migration of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salarL.) and sea trout smolt (S. trutta L.) was investigated using radio telemetry in the spring of 1999 and 2000. Forty wild sea trout smolts, 20 F1 sea trout smolts, 20 hatchery salmon smolts and 20 salmon smolts from river stockings were radio tagged and released in the Danish River Lilleaa. The downstream migration of the different groups of fish was monitored by manual tracking and by three automatic listening stations. The downstream migration of radio tagged smolts of both species occurred concurrently with their untagged counterparts. The diel migration pattern of the radio tagged smolts was predominantly nocturnal in both species. Wild sea trout smolt migrated significantly faster than both the F1 trout and the introduced salmon. There was no correlation between net ground speed, gill Na+,K+-ATPase activity or fish length in any of the different groups. The migration speed of wild sea trout smolts was positively correlated with water discharge in both years. In F1 sea trout smolts, migration speed was positively correlated with temperature in 1999. The migration speed of salmon smolts did not correlate to any of the investigated parameters.

Interpopulation differences in expression of candidate genes for salinity tolerance in winter migrating anadromous brown trout ( Salmo trutta L.)

BackgroundWinter migration of immature brown trout (Salmo trutta) into freshwater rivers has been hypothesized to result from physiologically stressful combinations of high salinity and low temperature in the sea.ResultsWe sampled brown trout from two Danish populations entering different saline conditions and quantified expression of the hsp70 and Na/K-ATPases α 1b genes following acclimation to freshwater and full-strength seawater at 2°C and 10°C. An interaction effect of low temperature and high salinity on expression of both hsp70 and Na/K-ATPase α 1b was found in trout from the river entering high saline conditions, while a temperature independent up-regulation of both genes in full-strength seawater was found for trout entering marine conditions with lower salinities.ConclusionOverall our results support the hypothesis that physiologically stressful conditions in the sea drive sea-run brown trout into freshwater rivers in winter. However, our results also demonstrate intra-specific differences in expression of important stress and osmoregulative genes most likely reflecting adaptive differences between trout populations on a regional scale, thus strongly suggesting local adaptations driven by the local marine environment.

Initial mortality of radio-tagged Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) smolts following release downstream of a hydropower station

The fate of radio-tagged hatchery-reared salmon smolts (Salmo salar L.) was investigated in the tailrace of a hydropower station in the Danish River Gudenaa during 2 years. Seventeen and 27 smolts were tagged and released in late May 1996 and during April 1999, respectively. Out of the total of 44 smolts, only two were recorded to leave the river and enter the estuary. In both years of study, electrofishing was used to sample tagged smolts. In 1996, these attempts were unsuccessful, while in 1999, 19 (70% of total) transmitters were retrieved in the stomachs of pikeperch (Stizostedion lucioperca (L.)) and pike (Esox lucius L.), and in grey heron (Ardea cinerea L.) nests. The present study demonstrates that the physical condition of the watershed, with respect to spawning and rearing, may not be the only crucial determining factors of the success of reintroduction of Atlantic salmon. Hydropower plants not only block the free movement of migratory fish, hence preventing the utilisation of spawning and rearing areas, but also form the basis of areas with increased mortality.

The physiological basis of the migration continuum in brown trout (Salmo trutta).

Partial migration is common in many animal taxa; however, the physiological variation underpinning migration strategies remains poorly understood. Among salmonid fishes, brown trout (Salmo trutta) is one of the species that exhibits the most complex variation in sympatric migration strategies, expressed as a migration continuum, ranging from residency to anadromy. In looking at brown trout, our objective with this study was to test the hypothesis that variation in migration strategies is underpinned by physiological variation. Prior to migration, physiological samples were taken from fish in the stream and then released at the capture site. Using telemetry, we subsequently classified fish as resident, short-distance migrants (potamodromous), or long-distance migrants (potentially anadromous). Our results revealed that fish belonging to the resident strategy differed from those exhibiting any of the two migratory strategies. Gill Na,K-ATPase activity, condition factor, and indicators of nutritional status suggested that trout from the two migratory strategies were smoltified and energetically depleted before leaving the stream, compared to those in the resident strategy. The trout belonging to the two migratory strategies were generally similar; however, lower triacylglycerides levels in the short-distance migrants indicated that they were more lipid depleted prior to migration compared with the long-distance migrants. In the context of migration cost, we suggest that additional lipid depletion makes migrants more inclined to terminate migration at the first given feeding opportunity, whereas individuals that are less lipid depleted will migrate farther. Collectively, our data suggest that the energetic state of individual fish provides a possible mechanism underpinning the migration continuum in brown trout.

Phenotypic variation in metabolism and morphology correlating with animal swimming activity in the wild: relevance for the OCLTT (oxygen- and capacity-limitation of thermal tolerance), allocation and performance models

Combining physiological and morphological measures in the laboratory with registrations of detailed measures of field activity, we tested the hypothesis that individual activity patterns correlate with individual metabolism and morphology as proposed by several conceptual models. We found no evidence indicating an effect of metabolism, whereas morphology correlated with several activity measures.

Evaluation of Three Telemetry Transmitter Attachment Methods for Female Silver-phase American Eels (Anguilla rostrata Lesueur)

ABSTRACT Declines in juvenile American eel (Anguilla rostrata Lesueur) abundance have led to concern about the impacts of anthropogenic structures on eel migration patterns. Telemetry provides an insightful tool for examining the movements of eels around these structures. Although there have been a number of studies investigating movements of Anguillid eels, using a variety of transmitter attachment techniques, there are few published evaluations of the effects of various tag attachment procedures. Hence, the effects of three telemetry attachment procedures were evaluated for female silver phase American eels. Short-term effects were examined by comparing the swimming performance of control eels and surgical shams with the swimming capacity of eels tagged externally, internally, and gastrically 24-hours following surgeries. Adaptive effects were investigated using a second swim trial 8 to 10 weeks following surgical procedures. Additionally, 12-week transmitter retention rates were calculated for each attachment method. Critical swimming velocity was not significantly different between treatments (P > 0.05), but did decrease significantly between trials (P = 0.012), suggesting that the swimming capacity of silver-phase American eels is not affected by the presence of telemetry transmitters or the method of transmitter attachment, even though swim performance decreases. However, transmitter retention rates varied considerably after the 12-week experimental period. Three gastric tags were regurgitated for a 12-week retention rate of 72.7%. No surgically implanted transmitters were shed, while 11 out of 12 externally affixed transmitters were lost, resulting in a retention rate of only 9.1%. These results suggest that surgically implanting transmitters is the preferred method of affixing telemetry transmitters to American eels, especially for long-term telemetry studies.