Juvenile pink and chum salmon diet study – Discovery Islands and Johnstone Strait – May to July 2015 and 2016 ...

• Main Authors: Zahner, Vanessa, Hunt, Brian
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Hakai Institute 2020
• Subjects: salmon; stomachs; juvenile; zooplankton; Discovery Islands; Johnstone Strait; diet; chum; pink; Pacific; Pink salmon
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.21966/ean1-n995; https://catalogue.hakai.org/dataset/ca-cioos_89b3c6d8-983b-48f4-a0b5-04eea65602f6

This dataset recorded juvenile pink and chum salmon stomach content analysis, to the finest level of taxonomic resolution of prey, in the Discovery Islands and Johnstone Strait, in 2015 and 2016. The cultural and ecological values of salmon cannot be understated, with these multiple keystone species underpinning coastal ecosystems and human societies from time immemorial. Despite this millennia-long intimate relationship with Pacific salmon, the returns of most stocks have become difficult to predict and manage due to overfishing and multiple complex stressors. Research has shown that juvenile salmon feeding is a crucial factor for growth and recruitment, and the ocean conditions driving prey availability are tightly coupled with survival of salmon. Co-migrating species often compete for food resources, with one species outperforming the other, as is the case for pink salmon, and chum salmon may shift to gelatinous prey in response. However, this competition research is limited, with most studies focusing on ...