Juvenile Pink and Chum Salmon Distribution, Diet, and Growth in the Northern Bering and Chukchi Seas

• Main Authors: Jamal H. Moss, James M. Murphy, Edward V. Farley, Lisa B. Eisner, Er G. Andrews
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: pink salmon; chum salmon; Chukchi Sea; eastern Bering Sea; growth; Arctic; Bering Sea; Bering Strait; Keta; Pacific; Chukchi; Oncorhynchus gorbuscha; Pink salmon; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.154.9971; http://www.npafc.org/new/publications/Bulletin/Bulletin%20No.%205/NPAFC_Bull_5_191-196(Moss).pdf

Abstract: Loss of non-seasonal sea ice and a general warming trend in the Bering Sea has altered the composition, distribution, and abundance of marine organisms inhabiting the region. Juvenile pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and chum (O. keta) salmon were found in significant numbers throughout the Chukchi Sea and Bering Strait regions during early autumn 2007, reflecting significant utilization of Arctic marine habitat by Pacific salmon. Linear models of juvenile pink and chum salmon body size corrected for Day of Year were parameterized to estimate daily growth rates and habitat-specific differences in body size using 6 years of survey data. Model results revealed that juvenile pink salmon inhabiting the eastern Bering Sea grew at an average rate of 1.17 mm•day-1 and juvenile chum salmon grew at a rate of 1.21 mm•day-1. The U.S. BASIS survey area was expanded northward to include the Chukchi Sea during 2007, where larger juvenile pink and chum salmon were found in higher abundances relative to pink and chum inhabiting the eastern Bering Sea. Food habits analyses revealed that juvenile pink and chum salmon fed upon high energy prey in the Chukchi Sea, and that the majority of chum salmon encountered there were from either Alaskan or Russian stocks.