Homing in Wild Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) Populations as Inferred from Differences in Parasite Prevalance and Allozyme Allele Frequencies

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Abstract
Although it is widely accepted that adult Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) spawn in their natal stream, there are few quantitative estimates of homing precision in wild populations. The prevalence of two myxosporean parasities, Myxobolus neurobius and Henneguya salminicola, indicated very precise homing in certain sockeye salmon (O. nerka) populations in British Columbia [Canada], (Long and Owikeno lakes on the central coast and Sprout, Great Central, and Henderson lakes on Barkley Sound, Vancouver Island). These populations were also sampled for electrophoretic differences at 23 loci. Genetic differences were found among all five populations, and estimates of straying from these data corroborated the parasitological evidence that straying is rare (< 1%).