Spawning Habitat and Redd Characteristics of Sockeye Salmon in the Glacial Taku River, British Columbia and Alaska
- 1 September 1989
- journal article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
- Vol. 118 (5) , 495-502
- https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8659(1989)118<0495:sharco>2.3.co;2
Abstract
Spawning habitats of sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka in the Taku River and its tributaries in British Columbia and Alaska were studied to determine habitat use and redd characteristics in a glacial river system. We used radiotelemetry to track adult sockeye salmon to 26 spawning reaches, and 63 spawning sites were sampled for habitat characteristics. Over 40% of the sockeye salmon in the sampling area had a freshwater age of zero, and most of these spawned in main channels or off channel areas. The availability of upwelling groundwater influenced habitat use in the main stem of the river; upwelling groundwater was detected in nearly 60% of the sites sampled in main-stem areas. Spawning sites with upwelling groundwater had lower water velocities and more variable substrate compositions than sites without upwelling groundwater. Redds had two to four times more fine sediment than previously reported. The probability of use was greatest when substrate had less than 15% fine sediment, water velocity...Keywords
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