Inferring marine distribution of Canadian and Irish Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) in the North Atlantic from tissue concentrations of bio-accumulated Caesium 137

• Main Authors: Aaron D. Spares, Jeffery M. Reader, Michael J. W. Stokesbury, Tom Mcdermott, Lubomir Zikovsky, Trevor S. Avery, Michael J. Dadswell
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2007
• Subjects: Atlantic salmon; Faroes; North Atlantic; Salmo salar
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.485.5073; http://icesjms.oxfordjournals.org/content/64/2/394.full.pdf

tissue concentrations of bio-accumulated caesium 137 (137Cs). Salmon from Canadian and Irish waters demonstrated concentrations (0.20+ 0.14 Bq kg21 and 0.19+ 0.09 Bq kg21, mean+ s.d., respectively) suggesting similar oceanic feeding distributions during migration. Canadian aquaculture escapees had a similar mean tissue concentration (0.28+ 0.22 Bq kg21), suggesting migration with wild salmon. However, significantly higher concentrations in 1-sea-winter (1SW) escapees (0.43+ 0.25 Bq kg21) may alternatively suggest feeding within local estuaries. High concentrations in some Canadian 1SW salmon indicated trans-Atlantic migration. Low concentrations of Canadian multi-sea-winter (MSW) salmon suggested a feeding distribution in the Labrador and Irminger Seas before homeward migration, because those regions have the lowest surface water 137Cs levels. Estimates of wild Canadian and Irish salmon feeding east of the Faroes (88W) were 14.2 % and 10.0 % (1SW, 24.7 % and 11.5%; MSW, 2.9 % and 0.0%), respectively. We propose that most anadromous North Atlantic salmon utilize the North Atlantic Gyre for marine migration and should be classified