Discharge, habitat complexity and social status: the influence of abiotic and biotic factors upon habitat suitability curves and the performance of juvenile Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar

Kemp, P.S. (2002) Discharge, habitat complexity and social status: the influence of abiotic and biotic factors upon habitat suitability curves and the performance of juvenile Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar. Fourth International Ecohydraulics Symposium, Cape Town, South Africa..

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

Previous instream flow models assume that hydraulic habitat (based upon abiotic criteria) is the dominant factor in governing fish positions in a stream environment. However, fish utilisation of instream habitats within a specific range of water velocities has been shown by a number of scientific studies to be both density dependent and to vary with discharge. This paper will investigate how social dominance (a biotic factor) of 1+ Atlantic salmon, interacts with habitat complexity and discharge in affecting fish performance and position choice in relation to velocity. The study was undertaken using a 32 metre length of flume, partitioned into sixteen 1 m2 chambers, which were landscaped with natural stream gravel and fed by water from a typical Scottish salmonid river. This paper will present the results and discuss how the findings are important in terms of the utilisation of hydraulically defined habitat.

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