Vertebral abnormalities in free-living Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Walbaum) in New Zealand

Spinal abnormalities are common in farmed Chinook Salmon in New Zealand. We report spinal abnormalities in adult Chinook salmon which were predominantly hatchery reared and released as smolts and which we term free-living. We compare these to rates seen in farmed New Zealand salmon. 101 free-living...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research
Main Authors: Davie, Peter S., Walker, Seumas P., Perrott, Matthew R., Symonds, Jane E., Preece, Mark, De Clercq, Adelbert, Munday, John S.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2018
Subjects:
Biology and Life Sciences
Spinal abnormalities
vertebra
free-living Chinook salmon
New Zealand
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
FARMED ATLANTIC SALMON
EUROPEAN FISH LARVAE
EARLY SEAWATER PHASE
SALAR L
SPAWNING MIGRATION
ANADROMOUS MIGRATION
SKELETAL ANOMALIES
DEFORMITIES
GROWTH
DEMINERALIZATION
Atlantic salmon
Online Access:https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8671338
http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8671338
https://doi.org/10.1080/00288330.2018.1455717
Description
Summary:Spinal abnormalities are common in farmed Chinook Salmon in New Zealand. We report spinal abnormalities in adult Chinook salmon which were predominantly hatchery reared and released as smolts and which we term free-living. We compare these to rates seen in farmed New Zealand salmon. 101 free-living adult salmon were radiographically assessed for spinal curvatures (lordosis, kyphosis, scoliosis; LKS) and other vertebral abnormalities. Severity of abnormality was assessed on a three-point scale. Abnormal vertebral bodies were detected in 88.1% of free-living salmon. Spinal curvatures were the most common abnormality type with 83.2% of fish showing this abnormality but only one free-living Chinook had LKS of severity greater than 1. Farmed Chinook salmon are reported to have LKS rates of 29% with 18% of LKS abnormalities of severity greater than 1. These results suggest that free-living Chinook salmon frequently develop spinal abnormalities, but these abnormalities are less severe than those observed in farmed salmon.

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