Morphometric Relationships as Indicators of Sexual Maturation in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)
This study aimed to identify morphometric relationships in fish that could serve as indicators for status on sexual maturation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). To achieve this, 250 salmon were netted out and individually weighed, measured for fork length, and photographed over six months. Further,...
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The University of Bergen
2023
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ftunivbergen:oai:bora.uib.no:11250/3092551 2023-10-29T02:35:03+01:00 Morphometric Relationships as Indicators of Sexual Maturation in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Øen, Margrethe 2023-09-27T22:01:00Z application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3092551 eng eng The University of Bergen https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3092551 Copyright the Author. All rights reserved Sexual maturation Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) Morphometric Relationship 751999 Master thesis 2023 ftunivbergen 2023-10-04T23:08:15Z This study aimed to identify morphometric relationships in fish that could serve as indicators for status on sexual maturation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). To achieve this, 250 salmon were netted out and individually weighed, measured for fork length, and photographed over six months. Further, the distance between morphometric key points were digitally measured for each individual using the photographs. Gonad weight was measured in order to calculate GSI as a degree of sexual maturation status. The ratios of snout-eye length to head length, snout-eye length to fork length, head length to fork length, body-height-central to fork length, body-height-anal to fork length, anal-caudal-fin to fork length, anal-caudal-fin to body-height-central, body-height-anal to body-height-central, where analyzed. Our results reveal that the snout/head ratio and the snout/fork length ratio are statistically significant indicators of sexual maturation. Specifically, a Generalized Linear Model (GLM) test showed that the snout/head ratio, snout/fork length and head/fork length had a significant relationship with GSI in August and November. The study also unveils complex interactions between growth metrics such as length, weight, condition factor (K), and specific growth rate (SGR) with GSI, indicating that the relationship between growth and sexual maturation undergoes seasonal fluctuations. Mature fish were found to allocate energy differently from immature fish, particularly near the spawning season, confirming a shift from somatic growth to reproductive activities. Our study suggests a multi-metric approach is crucial for a nuanced understanding of salmon physiology. The findings point to specific morphometric ratios as reliable indicators for assessing sexual maturation in salmon, especially during August and November. Masteroppgave i biologi BIO399 MAMN-BIO MAMN-HAVSJ Master Thesis Atlantic salmon Salmo salar University of Bergen: Bergen Open Research Archive (BORA-UiB) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Bergen: Bergen Open Research Archive (BORA-UiB) |
op_collection_id |
ftunivbergen |
language |
English |
topic |
Sexual maturation Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) Morphometric Relationship 751999 |
spellingShingle |
Sexual maturation Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) Morphometric Relationship 751999 Øen, Margrethe Morphometric Relationships as Indicators of Sexual Maturation in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) |
topic_facet |
Sexual maturation Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) Morphometric Relationship 751999 |
description |
This study aimed to identify morphometric relationships in fish that could serve as indicators for status on sexual maturation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). To achieve this, 250 salmon were netted out and individually weighed, measured for fork length, and photographed over six months. Further, the distance between morphometric key points were digitally measured for each individual using the photographs. Gonad weight was measured in order to calculate GSI as a degree of sexual maturation status. The ratios of snout-eye length to head length, snout-eye length to fork length, head length to fork length, body-height-central to fork length, body-height-anal to fork length, anal-caudal-fin to fork length, anal-caudal-fin to body-height-central, body-height-anal to body-height-central, where analyzed. Our results reveal that the snout/head ratio and the snout/fork length ratio are statistically significant indicators of sexual maturation. Specifically, a Generalized Linear Model (GLM) test showed that the snout/head ratio, snout/fork length and head/fork length had a significant relationship with GSI in August and November. The study also unveils complex interactions between growth metrics such as length, weight, condition factor (K), and specific growth rate (SGR) with GSI, indicating that the relationship between growth and sexual maturation undergoes seasonal fluctuations. Mature fish were found to allocate energy differently from immature fish, particularly near the spawning season, confirming a shift from somatic growth to reproductive activities. Our study suggests a multi-metric approach is crucial for a nuanced understanding of salmon physiology. The findings point to specific morphometric ratios as reliable indicators for assessing sexual maturation in salmon, especially during August and November. Masteroppgave i biologi BIO399 MAMN-BIO MAMN-HAVSJ |
format |
Master Thesis |
author |
Øen, Margrethe |
author_facet |
Øen, Margrethe |
author_sort |
Øen, Margrethe |
title |
Morphometric Relationships as Indicators of Sexual Maturation in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) |
title_short |
Morphometric Relationships as Indicators of Sexual Maturation in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) |
title_full |
Morphometric Relationships as Indicators of Sexual Maturation in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) |
title_fullStr |
Morphometric Relationships as Indicators of Sexual Maturation in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Morphometric Relationships as Indicators of Sexual Maturation in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) |
title_sort |
morphometric relationships as indicators of sexual maturation in atlantic salmon (salmo salar) |
publisher |
The University of Bergen |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3092551 |
genre |
Atlantic salmon Salmo salar |
genre_facet |
Atlantic salmon Salmo salar |
op_relation |
https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3092551 |
op_rights |
Copyright the Author. All rights reserved |
_version_ |
1781057994459447296 |