Records of Coho Salmon, in the Bay of Fundy and Its Tributary Drainage
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Records of Coho Salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum, 1792), in the Bay of Fundy and its Tributary Drainage J' J r James D. Martin and Michael J. Dadswell Biological Station, St. Andrews, N. B. , EOG 2XO September 1983 Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences No. 1204 Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences These reports contain sc ienti fic and te chni ca l inform ati on that represe nts an importa nt co ntribution to ex isting knowledge but whi ch for some reason may not be appropriate for primary sc ientific (i. e. Journaf) publication. Technical Reports are directed primarily towards a worldwide audience and have an international distribution. No restriction is placed on subject matter and the se ri es refl ects the broad interests and policies of th e Department of Fi sheri es a nd Oceans, namely, fi sheri es ma nage ment , tec hnology and development , ocea n sciences , a nd aquati c environments relevant to Canada. 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Les numeros 1-456 de cette seri e on t ete publies a titre de Rapport s tec hniques de l'Offi ce des rec herches sur les pec heri es du Canada . Les numeros 457-7 14. a titre de Rappo rt s techni q ues de la Direction ge nerale de la recherche et d u developpement, Service des peches et de la mer. mini stere de l'En \' ir onn ement. Lcs numeros 715-924 ont ete publies a titre de Ra pport s tec hni ques du Service des peches et de la mer, Ministere des Peches et de l'E nvironn ement. Le nom de la seri e a ete modifie a pa rtir du numero 925 . La page couverture porte Ie nom de I'etabli ssem ent auteur ou I'on peut se procurer les ra ppo rt s sous couverture ca rt onnee. Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 1204 August 1983 RECORDS OF COHO SALMON, ONCORHYNCHUS KISUTCH (WALBAUM, 1792), IN THE BAY OF FUNDY AND ITS TRIBUTARY DRAINAGE by James D. Martin and Michael J. Dadswell Fisheries and Environmental Sciences Department of Fi sheri es and Oceans Biological Station St. Andrews, N. B. EOG 2XO This is the one hundredth and fifty-ninth Technical Report from the Biological Station, St. Andrews, N. B. i i ©Minister of Supply and Services Canada 1983 Cat. No. Fs 97-6/1204 ISSN 0706-6457 Correct citation for this publication: Martin, J. Do, and M. J. Dadswell. 1983. Records of coho salmon, oncorh~nchus kisutch (Walbaum, 1792), in the Bay of Fundy and its tributary drainage. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. quat. sci 0 1204: iii + 6 po iii ABSTRACT Martin, J. D., and M. J. Dadswell. 1983. Records of coho salmon, oncorh*nchus kisutch (Walbaum, 1792), in the Bay of Fundy and its tributary drainage. Can. Tech. Rep. F1Sh. quat. Sci. 1204: iii + 6 p. Since 1976 there have been 14 confirmed occurrences of coho salmon, involving 1-22 individuals, in the Bay of Fundy and its tributary drainage. Most of these fish were thought to originate from the stocking program for coho initiated in the early 1970's in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, U.S.A. Successful spawning of coho in Bay of Fundy tributaries has occurred on at least three occasions, once in the Digdeguash River, N. B., and twice in the Cornwallis River, N. S. Electrofishing surveys during 1982 failed to capture any coho parr in 28 New Brunswick coastal Bay of Fundy streams. Nine coho parr were captured in the Cornwallis River in the fall of 1982 and five more the following spring. Key words: Pacific salmon, oncorh~nchus kisutch, exotic introductions, migration, natural reproduction, competition, Atlantlc almon, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia Martin, J. D., and M. J. Dadswell. 1983. Records of coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum, 1792), in the Bay of Fundy and its tributary drainage. Can. Tech. Rep. F1Sh. Aquat. Sci. 1204: iii + 6 p. Dupuis 1976, on a signale 14 occurrences confirmees de saumons coho, impliquant de 1 a 22 sujets, dans la baie de Fundy et son bassin hydrographique. On croit que la plupart de ces poissons proviennent due programme de peuplement de saumons coho mis sur pied au debut des annees 1970 dans le New Hampshire et le Massachusetts, aux E.-U. Cette espece a fraye avec succes dans les tributaires de la baie de Fundy au moins en trgis occasions, une fois dans la riviere Digdequash (N.-B.) et deux fois dans la riviere Cornwallis (N.-E.). Des releves par electro-peche effectues en 1982 n'ont rapporte aucun tacon de saumon coho dans 28 cours d'eau se deversant dans la baie de Fundy, du cote du Nouveau-Brunswick. Neuf tacons ont ete captures dans la riviere Cornwallis a l'automne 1982, et cinq autres le printemps suivant. I NTRODUCTI ON This report summarizes records of cohos from the Bay of Fundy and some of its freshwater tributaries. Also presented are the results of an The introduction of coho salmon, Oncorhynchus electrofishing survey during 1982 to learn whether kisutch (Walbam, 1792), along the Atlantic coast of or not spawning populations of coho are established North America has created concern among several in The Bay of Fundy drai nage of New Brunswi ck. sport fishing organizations and conservation groups, as well as in government fisheries departments. Coho salmon are native to the Pacific Ocean and its METHODS tributary drainage in both North America and Asia. They are anadromous, returning to freshwater streams to spawn. Spawning occurs from October to January , Records of reported coho salmon catches were in swi ft, sha 11 ow water over gravel (Scott and maintained by the Identification Center at the Crossman 1973). Alevins emerge from the gravel in Biological Station in St. Andrews. Confirmation of spring and most remain in fresh water for 1 yr coho specimens obtained was by Dr. W. B. Scott of before smoltification and migration to the ocean or The Huntsman Marine Laboratory, St. Andrews, N. B. a large lake. Most coho spend two summer seasons in the ocean, returning to spawn in the fall of the A total of 2B New Brunswick coastal Bay of second year. Spawning runs may also include jacks, Fundy streams extending from the St. Croix River at usually precocious males, returning after one summer St. Stephen to the Shepody River at Moncton were season following smoltification. sampled during the summer of 1982 (Fig. 1). Sampling was conducted by electrofishing with The predicted effects of introduced non Smith-Root back-pack electroshockers (Mark IV and indigenous salmonids on native Atlantic salmon are: Mark VII) at 400-500 volts, using uninterrupted destruction of Atlantic salmon redds by a later direct current. Two sampling methods were used: spawning species, interspecific competition among the electrofishing crews after selecting an parr, predation of Atlantic salmon parr and fry by accessible site, proceeded upstream fishing the faster growing Pacific salmon parr, and the potential salmonid habitat for 20 min at each site. possible introduction of diseases or detrimental This was a spot check. If juvenile Atlantic salmon parasites (Solomon 1979; Gibson 1981). (Salmo salar) were captured, then a riffle-type reg;onor-tne stream of approximately 100 m2 was Introductions for aquaculture operations of selected, blocked with fine mesh nets to prevent non-indigenous fish in the Maritimes are controlled fish from entering and leaving, and a census made.