Postsmolt Atlantic Salmon ( Salmo salar ) in the Labrador Sea

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• Main Authors: Reddin, D. G., Short, P. B.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1991
• Subjects: Aquatic Science; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Greenland; Atlantic salmon; Labrador Sea; Salmo salar
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f91-001; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f91-001

In order to learn more about the existence, abundance, and distribution of postsmolt Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in the Labrador Sea, exploratory fishing was done with surface-set gill nets in early autumn of 1987 and 1988. In total, there were 468 salmon of various sea ages captured, of which 207 were postsmolts. The high catch rates compared with catch rates from Greenland suggest that the population of postsmolts in the Labrador Sea may be large. Postsmolts from rivers in Maine to Labrador were caught in the Labrador Sea, as indicated by Carlin tags and river age distribution from scale reading. The highest catch rates of postsmolts occurred in the Labrador Sea between 56° and 58°N latitude.