Summer growth patterns of northern Dolly Varden ( Salvelinus malma ) smolts from the Prudhoe Bay region of Alaska
Summer length growth patterns of northern Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) smolts from the Sagavanirktok River, northern Alaska, were analyzed for the years 1985-1994 and found to be sigmoidal, indicating slow rates of growth in early and late summer with the most rapid growth occurring in midseason....
| Published in: | Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
1997
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f97-022 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f97-022 |
| Summary: | Summer length growth patterns of northern Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) smolts from the Sagavanirktok River, northern Alaska, were analyzed for the years 1985-1994 and found to be sigmoidal, indicating slow rates of growth in early and late summer with the most rapid growth occurring in midseason. Nonlinear logistic regression functions of mean cohort length against date provided a reasonable fit of the data for all years except for 1991, accounting for more than 94% (r 2 values ranged from 0.95 to 0.99) of the variation in mean daily length in any given year. Slow growth in early summer is in direct contrast with the growth patterns reported for juvenile broad whitefish (Coregonus nasus) and Arctic cisco (C. autumnalis) which inhabit the Sagavanirktok River and estuary. Some possible explanations for the observed Dolly Varden growth patterns include migration, dispersal, prey availability, water quality, and stock mixing. |
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