Homing behavior and vertical movements of four species of Pacific salmon ( Oncorhynchus spp.) in the central Bering Sea

Four sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), two chum salmon (O. keta), three pink salmon (O. gorbuscha), and four Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) with depth-sensing ultrasonic transmitters were tracked in the central Bering Sea to examine migration in the open sea. Ground speeds of maturing sockeye, c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
Main Authors: Ogura, Miki, Ishida, Yukimasa
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1995
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f95-054
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f95-054
Description
Summary:Four sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), two chum salmon (O. keta), three pink salmon (O. gorbuscha), and four Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) with depth-sensing ultrasonic transmitters were tracked in the central Bering Sea to examine migration in the open sea. Ground speeds of maturing sockeye, chum, and pink salmon were at 0.54–0.66 m/s (0.88–1.17 fork lengths/s). Chinook salmon, probably immature fish, moved more slowly (0.34 m/s). Maturing individuals moved in particular directions and maintained their ground speeds and directions during day and night. The results also suggested that salmon had a compass orientation ability functioning without celestial information. Sockeye, chum, and pink salmon showed strong surface preferences but chinook salmon swam deeper (30–35 m) than did the other species.