Evidence for selective mortality in marine environments: the role of fish migration size, timing, and production type

The underlying causes of mortality during critical life stages of fish are not well understood, nor is it clear if these causes are similar for naturally versus artificially propagated (i.e. hatchery) individuals. To assess the importance of selective mortality related to production type (hatchery vs. naturally produced) and size at and timing of marine entry, we compared attributes of juvenile Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha from the upper Columbia River summer- and fall-run genetic stock group captured in the Columbia River estuary with back-calculated attributes of survivors captured in marine waters. We used genetic stock identification, otolith chemistry and structure, and physical tags to determine stock of origin, size at and timing of marine entry, and production type. Fish emigrated from fresh water in May to September and the majority of fish collected in the estuary (87%) had arrived within 3 d of capture. In 1 of 2 yr, timing of marine entry for both production types differed between the estuary and ocean: the ocean catch included a greater proportion of juveniles that emigrated in late July than the estuary catch. There was no evidence of selective mortality of smaller juveniles during early marine residence in hatchery or natural juveniles, but the mean percentage (+/- SE) of hatchery fish in ocean collections was 16 +/- 5.8% less than in the estuary, which could indicate reduced survival compared to naturally produced fish. Results from this study highlight the need to understand the effects of hatchery rearing and how hatchery propagation may influence survival during later critical life-history transitions.