Behavioural response of juvenile Atlantic salmon to presence of boulders

Kemp, P.S., Armstrong, J.D and Gilvear, D.J. (2005) Behavioural response of juvenile Atlantic salmon to presence of boulders. Journal of Fish Biology, 67 (sB), p.267. (doi:10.1111/j.0022-1112.2005.0955a.x).

Abstract

The placement of structures in streams and rivers has increasingly been used to enhance the density and biomass of economic species of fish. The influence of boulder presence on the behaviour of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) was investigated experimentally in an indoor flume fed by a 16 l s1 flow of natural river water. The flume was divided into 16 arenas (each 1 m²) that were landscaped with river gravel and standardized boulders, to represent relative ‘‘complex’’ or ‘‘simple’’ habitats. Each arena housed three wild-caught fish. In a three-week trial, the effects of landscape on aspects of individual behaviour were recorded. Food intake was highest in the simple landscape and directly related to social status and time spent in the water column. The fish in the complex chambers actively maintained station in the water column significantly more than fish in simple landscapes and therefore partially compensated for reduced foraging rates associated with complexity. Fish in simple chambers spent more time orientated upstream than those in complex landscapes. There was no evidence that habitat complexity influenced levels of aggression, average aggressive distance, ‘‘constrained’’ territory size, or dominance. Activity and space use varied with social status. Overall, this study illustrates that addition of boulders can result in costs to Atlantic salmon parr, which can be expected to offset to some extent benefits brought about by increased stream complexity.

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Contributors

Author: P.S. Kemp

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