Author: Nicholas James SmithPublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Animal radio tracking
Languages : en
Pages : 36
Book Description
A 2-sample mark-recapture experiment was conducted to estimate the abundance and upriver migration characteristics of adult Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha returning to the Kuskokwim River in 2015. Tagging occurred downriver from all known spawning tributaries, except the Eek River. All fish were marked with a dorsally attached spaghetti tag, and a subset of spaghetti tagged fish was also fitted with a radio tag to evaluate assumptions of the abundance estimator and monitor upriver movement. Radiotagged fish were tracked throughout the study area using a network of telemetry stations and a series of aerial telemetry surveys. Seven escapement monitoring weirs were operated upriver from the tag site and served as recapture locations for tagged fish. Inriver abundance of Chinook salmon upstream of rkm 67 was 115,541 fish (95% CI: 105,370-125,346). Radiotagged Chinook salmon traveling to upriver tributaries were captured and tagged earlier in the run compared to tagged fish migrating to middle river tributaries. Chinook salmon returning to lower river tributaries were captured and tagged throughout the entire run.
