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USGS1997

Trout production dynamics and water quality in Minnesota streams

We sampled fish assemblages and quantified production dynamics of brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis , brown trout Salmo trutta , and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss in 13 southeastern Minnesota streams during 1988–1990 to examine the influence of water quality on fish populations in fertile trout streams. Fish assemblages in 15 stream reaches were abundant, but low in diversity; 13 species were collected. Parameter means (ranges) over the reaches were species richness, 4.1 (1–8); density, 29,490 (1,247–110,602) fish/ha; and biomass, 253.5 (49.6–568.6) kg/ha. Means (ranges) for salmonids were annual mean density, 2,279 (343–8,096) fish/ha; annual mean biomass, 162.0 (32.5–355.5) kg/ha; and annual production, 155.6 (36.7–279.6) kg/ha. Salmonid production and mean biomass were greater during the spring‐fall interval than during fall‐spring; young cohorts (ages 0–1) contributed the greatest proportion to population biomass and production. Salmonid annual production‐to‐mean‐biomass ratio (P/B) averaged 1.06 (0.64–1.42), and means were significantly different among species (1.03 for brown trout, 1.54 for brook trout, and 1.92 for rainbow trout). A significant linear model was developed that describes P/B as an inverse function of population age structure and may be used to improve accuracy in approximations of annual production from mean biomass. Fish density, biomass, or production were not correlated with eight water quality variables describing ionic and nutrient content in these streams, but when data from other United States streams with a wide range in alkalinity were incorporated, salmonid production was strongly, positively correlated with alkalinity. The wide range in fish population and production statistics and their lack of correlation with water quality suggest that no uniform fish carrying capacity exists among these streams and that factors other than water fertility limit fish density, biomass, and productivity at this spatial scale, but the overall maximum production rate in the region may be governed by water quality.

Minnesota↗

USGS1998

Diel movement of brown trout in a southern Appalachian River

Radio telemetry was used to monitor the diel movement of 22 brown trout Salmo trutta (268–446 mm in total length, TL) in the Chattooga River watershed. Forty-seven diel tracks, locating individuals once per hour for 24 consecutive hours, were collected for four consecutive seasons. High variability in movement both within and among individual brown trout resulted in similar seasonal means in total distance moved , diel range, and displacement. The majority of fish moved a total distance of less than 80 m within a diel range of less than 80 m and had a displacement of less than 10 m. Brown trout were more likely to occur in pool habitat independent of season or period of the day. Hourly movement patterns differed among seasons. During the winter and fall, trout moved only around sunrise; during the spring, they moved around sunrise, sunset, and intermittently throughout the night. Large brown trout (>375 mm, TL) were found to move greater total distances and establish wider diel ranges than small brown trout . Overall, most brown trout exhibited restricted diel movement within a single riffle–pool or run–pool sequence.

Georgia, South Carolina↗

USGS1999

Vateritic sagitta in wild and stocked lake trout: Applicability to stock origin

Aragonite is the normal form of calcium carbonate found in teleost otoliths, but it is sometimes replaced by vaterite, an alternate crystalline structure. We investigated the assumption that sagittal otoliths with vaterite replacement were unique to stocked lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Earlier studies had attributed these abnormalities to stocking stress, and proposed that the presence of vaterite could separate individual unmarked stocked lake trout from their wild counterparts. We examined and described the frequency of vateritic sagittae in two wild and three stocked populations of lake trout from the Great Lakes and a wild population from a remote inland lake in northern Canada. Among lake trout caught 2–12 years after being stocked, prevalence of vateritic sagittae was 66% for Lake Superior fish, 75% for Lake Huron fish, and 86% for Lake Ontario fish. Among wild fish caught, vateritic sagittae were present in 37% of Lake Superior fish, 22% of Lake Huron fish, and 49% of northern Canada fish. We also compared year-to-year differences in prevalence in four year-classes of fingerling lake trout reared in two U.S. national lake trout hatcheries. Prior to release, between 53 and 84% of the hatchery fish had at least one vateritic sagitta, and prevalence increased with handling associated with hatchery practices. Vateritic sagittae in wild fish might also indicate stress in nature. The presence of vateritic sagittae in both wild and stocked fish compromises the use of this characteristic as an unequivocal indicator of a particular fish's origin. Among-population differences in both the prevalence and the extent of vaterite replacement, however, may provide a means of differentiating between stocks of sympatric unmarked wild and stocked lake trout.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS2000

Shifts in depth distributions of alewives, rainbow smelt, and age-2 lake trout in southern Lake Ontario following establishment of Dreissenids

In the mid-1990s, biologists conducting assessments of fish stocks in Lake Ontario reported finding alewives Alosa pseudoharengus , rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax , and juvenile lake trout Salvelinus namaycush at greater depths than in the mid-1980s. To determine if depth distributions shifted coincident with the early 1990s colonization of Lake Ontario by exotic Dreissena mussels, we calculated mean depth of capture for each of the three species during trawl surveys conducted annually during 1978–1997 and examined the means for significant deviations from established patterns. We found that mean capture depth of alewives, rainbow smelt, and age-2 lake trout shifted deeper during the build up of the dreissenid population in Lake Ontario but that timing of the shift varied among seasons and species. Depth shifts occurred first for rainbow smelt and age-2 lake trout in June 1991. In 1992, alewives shifted deeper in June followed by age-2 lake trout in July–August. Finally, in 1993 and 1994, the distribution of lake trout and alewives shifted in April–May. Reasons why the three fishes moved to deeper water are not clear, but changes in distribution were not linked to temperature. Mean temperature of capture after the depth shift was significantly lower than before the depth shift except for alewives in April–May. Movement of alewives, rainbow smelt, and age-2 lake trout to colder, deeper water has the potential to alter growth and reproduction schedules by exposing the fish to different temperature regimes and to alter the food chain, increasing predation on Mysis relicta in deep water and decreasing alewife predation on lake trout fry over nearshore spawning grounds in spring.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1997

Survival rates of adult lake trout in northwestern Lake Michigan, 1983-1993

The restoration of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Michigan has been an elusive goal of resource management agencies in the Great Lakes region. In this study, we estimated annual survival rates of adult lake trout from an area in northwestern Lake Michigan known as the Clay Banks refuge. We tagged and recaptured fish with gill nets during the fall spawning season ( N = 12,175; 1983–1989 and 1991–1993) and with pound nets in the spring ( N = 52,035; 1984–1990 and 1992–1993). We fit Cormack–Jolly–Seber models to the two sets of data. We had insufficient data to analyze annual differences in survival rates of fall-tagged fish, but we were able to estimate an overall annual survival rate of 0.67. Annual survival rates of spring-tagged fish varied between 0.53 and 0.88 and increased after 1987–1988. In addition to the mark–recapture studies, we analyzed catch rates of lake trout from gill-net and pound-net surveys to estimate survival rates using catch curve analyses; these annual rates were generally lower than those estimated from mark–recapture analyses of tagged fish. However, survival rates of lake trout from the Clay Banks refuge appeared to meet the minimum rate believed necessary for restoration of this species in Lake Michigan. Furthermore, adult survival rates have been increasing in recent years, and lake trout restoration in Lake Michigan is not hampered by low survival of adult fish. We hypothesize that the recent decrease in abundance of adult lake trout is primarily due to decreases in survival rates of lake trout younger than 6 years.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗

USGS2000

Optimum temperature for growth and preferred temperatures of age-0 lake trout

This study was performed to determine the thermal preferences and optimum temperature for growth of age-0 lake trout Salvelinus namaycush to help predict the thermal habitat they select when they leave the spawning grounds and to assess the risk posed to them in the Great Lakes by piscivorus, nonnative fishes whose thermal habitat preferences are known. The test fish were hatched in the laboratory from eggs taken from wild fish, acclimated to 5, 10, 15, and 18°C, and fed to excess with commercial trout food for 47 d. The test fish grew at all of the temperatures, and the specific growth rate was highest at about 12.5°C (3.8% wet body weight/d). Fish used in the growth study were also tested in a vertical thermal gradient tank and had a final thermal preferendum between 10.1°C and 10.2°C. These results, which generally agreed with those of an earlier laboratory study of the temperature preference of age-1 lake trout and the limited information on thermal habitat use by age-0 lake trout in the Great Lakes, indicated age-0 lake trout would tend to seek temperatures near 10°C, or as high as 12.5°C, during summer if food was abundant. Published information on thermal habitat use of age-1 and adult alewives Alosa pseudoharengus and rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax indicated they would be expected to co-occur with age-0 lake trout during much of the time when the lake trout were small enough to be eaten by these two introduced piscivores.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗

USGS2003

Evidence of sexually dimorphic introgression in Pinaleno Mountain Apache trout

The high-elevation headwater streams of the Pinaleno Mountains support small populations of threatened Apache trout Oncorhynchus apache that were stocked following the chemical removal of nonnative salmonids in the 1960s. A fisheries survey to assess population composition, growth, and size structure confirmed angler reports of infrequent occurrences of Oncorhynchus spp. exhibiting the external morphological characteristics of both Apache trout and rainbow trout O. mykiss. Nonlethal tissue samples were collected from 50 individuals in the headwaters of each stream. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequencing and amplification of nuclear microsatellite loci were used to determine the levels of genetic introgression by rainbow trout in Apache trout populations at these locations. Sexually dimorphic introgression from the spawning of male rainbow trout with female Apache trout was detected using mtDNA and microsatellites. Estimates of the degree of hybridization based on three microsatellite loci were 10-88%. The use of nonlethal DNA genetic analyses can supplement information obtained from standard survey methods and be useful in assessing the relative importance of small and sensitive populations with a history of nonnative introductions.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗

USGS2005

Development of thiamine deficiencies and early mortality syndrome in lake trout by feeding experimental and feral fish diets containing thiaminase

We conducted a laboratory investigation on the consequences of feeding predatory salmonids either experimental diets low in thiamine or diets containing alewife Alosa pseudoharengus . In experiment 1, adult lake trout Salvelinus namaycush were fed experimental diets containing bacterial thiaminase. In experiment 2, adult lake trout were fed natural prey species, alewives, and bloaters Coregonus hoyi . The diets consisted of four combinations of alewives and bloaters from Lake Michigan (100% alewives, 65% alewives–35% bloaters, 35% alewives–65% bloaters, and 100% bloaters), alewives from Cayuga Lake, a casein bacterial thiaminase, and a commercial trout diet. We assessed the effects of each diet on egg thiamine concentration and incidence of an embryonic early mortality syndrome (EMS). In experiment 1, incidence of EMS ranged from 0% to 100%. Significant relationships were found between the incidence of EMS and thiamine. In experiment 2, adult lake trout fed 100% alewives from either Lake Michigan or Cayuga Lake or fish fed the casein bacterial thiaminase diet produced eggs with low thiamine and swim-up fry with EMS. At either 35% or 65% alewives in the diet, egg thiamine was significantly lowered. The number of females that produced offspring that died from EMS were low but demonstrated the negative potential if feral lake trout foraged on either 35% or 65% alewives. Depleted egg thiamine and the onset of EMS required diets containing thiaminase for a minimum of 2 years in lake trout initially fully thiamine replete. We conclude that EMS can be caused by extensive feeding on 100% alewives and dietary levels of 35% or greater may prove detrimental to sustainable reproduction of salmonids in the Great Lakes. The data are consistent with that observed in feral lake trout, and it is concluded that EMS is the result of a thiamine deficiency.

Journal of Aquatic Animal Health↗

USGS2009

Egg fatty acid composition from lake trout fed two Lake Michigan prey fish species.

We previously demonstrated that there were significant differences in the egg thiamine content in lake trout Salvelinus namaycush fed two Lake Michigan prey fish (alewife Alosa pseudoharengus and bloater Coregonus hoyi). Lake trout fed alewives produced eggs low in thiamine, but it was unknown whether the consumption of alewives affected other nutritionally important components. In this study we investigated the fatty acid composition of lake trout eggs when females were fed diets that resulted in different egg thiamine concentrations. For 2 years, adult lake trout were fed diets consisting of four combinations of captured alewives and bloaters (100% alewives; 65% alewives, 35% bloaters; 35% alewives, 65% bloaters; and 100% bloaters). The alewife fatty acid profile had higher concentrations of arachidonic acid and total omega-6 fatty acids than the bloater profile. The concentrations of four fatty acids (cis-13, 16-docosadienoic, eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acids) were higher in bloaters than in alewives. Although six fatty acid components were higher in lake trout eggs in 2001 than in 2000 and eight fatty acids were lower, diet had no effect on any fatty acid concentration measured in lake trout eggs in this study. Based on these results, it appears that egg fatty acid concentrations differ between years but that the egg fatty acid profile does not reflect the alewife-bloater mix in the diet of adults. The essential fatty acid content of lake trout eggs from females fed alewives and bloaters appears to be physiologically regulated and adequate to meet the requirements of developing embryos.

Journal of Aquatic Animal Health↗

USGS2007

Temperature-mediated differences in bacterial kidney disease expression and survival in Renibacterium salmoninarum-challenged bull trout and other salmonids

Resource managers considering restoration and reconnection of watersheds to protect and enhance threatened populations of bull trout Salvelinus confluentus have little information about the consequences of bacterial kidney disease (BKD) caused by Renibacterium salmoninarum. To better understand the response of bull trout to R. salmoninarum challenge, we conducted several laboratory experiments at two water temperatures. The extent, severity, and lethality of BKD in bull trout were compared with those of similarly challenged lake trout S. namaycush, Arctic char S. alpinus, Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, and rainbow trout O. mykiss. The lethal dose of bacterial cells necessary to induce 50% mortality (LD50) was 10-fold lower at the 15??C challenge than at the 9??C challenge. Of the species tested, bull trout were relatively resistant to BKD, Arctic char were the most susceptible among Salvelinus species, and Chinook salmon were the most susceptible among Oncorhynchus species tested. Mean time to death was more rapid for all fish tested at 15??C than for fish challenged at 9??C. These results suggest that infection of bull trout with BKD likely poses a low risk to successful restoration of threatened populations. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2007.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗

USGS2013

Population attributes of lake trout in Tennessee reservoirs

We sampled stocked Salvelinus namaycush (Lake Trout) in Watauga Lake and South Holston Lake, TN using experimental gill nets in 2009-2010 to describe their growth, longevity, and condition. Annuli in sagittal otoliths formed once a year in early spring in both reservoirs. South Holston Lake ( n = 99 Lake Trout) has been stocked since 2006, and the oldest fish was age 4. Watauga Lake has been stocked since the mid-1980s, and we collected 158 Lake Trout up to age 20. Annual mortality for age-3 and older fish in Watauga Lake was 24%. When compared to Lake Trout in northern lakes, Tennessee Lake Trout exhibited average to above-average growth and longevity. Condition of Lake Trout in both reservoirs varied seasonally and tended to be lowest in fall, but rebounded in winter and spring. Lake Trout in both reservoirs appeared to be spatially segregated from pelagic prey fishes during summer stratification, but growth rates and body condition were high enough to suggest that neither system was being overstocked.

Southeastern Naturalist↗

USGS2005

Changing numbers of spawning cutthroat trout in tributary streams of Yellowstone Lake and estimates of grizzly bears visiting streams from DNA

Spawning Yellowstone cutthroat trout ( Oncorhynchus clarki ) provide a source of highly digestible energy for grizzly bears ( Ursus arctos ) that visit tributary streams to Yellowstone Lake during the spring and early summer. During 1985–87, research documented grizzly bears fishing on 61% of the 124 tributary streams to the lake. Using track measurements, it was estimated that a minimum of 44 grizzly bears fished those streams annually. During 1994, non-native lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) were discovered in Yellowstone Lake. Lake trout are efficient predators and have the potential to reduce the native cutthroat population and negatively impact terrestrial predators that use cutthroat trout as a food resource. In 1997, we began sampling a subset of streams ( n = 25) from areas of Yellowstone Lake surveyed during the previous study to determine if changes in spawner numbers or bear use had occurred. Comparisons of peak numbers and duration suggested a considerable decline between study periods in streams in the West Thumb area of the lake. The apparent decline may be due to predation by lake trout. Indices of bear use also declined on West Thumb area streams. We used DNA from hair collected near spawning streams to estimate the minimum number of bears visiting the vicinity of spawning streams. Seventy-four individual bears were identified from 429 hair samples. The annual number of individuals detected ranged from 15 in 1997 to 33 in 2000. Seventy percent of genotypes identified were represented by more than 1 sample, but only 31% of bears were documented more than 1 year of the study. Sixty-two (84%) bears were only documented in 1 segment of the lake, whereas 12 (16%) were found in 2–3 lake segments. Twenty-seven bears were identified from hair collected at multiple streams. One bear was identified on 6 streams in 2 segments of the lake and during 3 years of the study. We used encounter histories derived from DNA and the Jolly-Seber procedure in Program MARK to produce annual estimates of grizzly bears visiting streams. Approximately 68 grizzly bears visited the vicinity of cutthroat trout spawning streams annually. Thus, approximately 14–21% of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) may have used this threatened food resource annually. Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is attempting to control the lake trout population in Yellowstone Lake; our results underscore the importance of that effort to grizzly bears.

Wyoming↗

USGS2011

The effects of Glen Canyon Dam operations on early life stages of rainbow trout in the Colorado River

The Lees Ferry reach of the Colorado River-a 16-mile segment from Glen Canyon Dam to the confluence with the Paria River-supports an important recreational rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fishery. In Grand Canyon, nonnative rainbow trout prey on and compete for habitat and food with native fish, such as the endangered humpback chub (Gila cypha). Experimental flow fluctuations from the dam during winter and spring 2003-5 dewatered and killed a high proportion of rainbow trout eggs in gravel spawning bars, but this mortality had no measurable effect on the abundance of juvenile fish. Flow fluctuations during summer months reduced growth of juvenile trout relative to steadier flows. A high-flow experiment in March 2008 increased both trout survival rates for early life stages and fish abundance. These findings demonstrate that Glen Canyon Dam operations directly affect the trout population in the Lees Ferry reach and could be used to regulate nonnative fish abundance to limit potential negative effects of trout on native fish in Grand Canyon.

Fact Sheet↗

USGS2024

A literature review and hypsometric analysis to support decisions on trout management flows on the Colorado River downstream from Glen Canyon Dam

Executive Summary Fish stranding has been studied in select rivers worldwide, often with the purpose of determining how to mitigate adverse effects of dam operations on highly valued salmon and trout populations. However, where a reduction in trout population size is desired by resource managers, as is the case downstream of the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River, flow manipulations termed trout management flows (TMFs) may be used to optimize fish stranding and mortality. To inform the design and implementation of potential future TMFs, we reviewed relevant literature to identify key factors that influence fish stranding. We found that key factors were highly interdependent and site-specific, but general trends suggest that down-ramping (decreasing flow) at rapid rates in daytime during the late spring to summer emergence period would lead to stranding of age-0 rainbow trout in shallow shoreline habitat. A hypsometric analysis was then used to predict stranding risk for age-0 rainbow trout in Glen Canyon for a range of TMFs, which incorporated existing bathymetric data and flow and habitat suitability models. Our results indicate that a TMF with a steady high flow ranging from 12,000 to 16,000 cubic feet per second (ft 3 /s) combined with a minimum flow ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 ft 3 /s may effectively strand age-0 fish while also minimizing risk to water storage in Lake Powell and other resources. This strategy implemented under normal hydropeaking operations was predicted to lead to a substantive stranding risk when paired with low flows of 5,000 ft 3 /s, and especially 3,000 ft 3 /s. However, there remains uncertainty associated with elements of implementing an effective TMF downstream from Glen Canyon Dam. The main uncertainties include (1) the down-ramp rate that maximizes stranding of age-0 trout, (2) the duration of drawdown to maximize stranding mortality while minimizing impact to downstream resources, (3) duration of high flows required for age-0 fish to colonize newly created shoreline habitat (this is only for certain TMF hydrographs), (4) number of repetitions of TMF cycles to minimize compensatory survival response, and (5) recruitment threshold of both rainbow and brown trout populations to trigger TMF implementation.

Arizona↗

USGS2015

Hydraulic, geomorphic, and trout habitat conditions of the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River in Hinsdale County, Lake City, Colorado, Water Years 2010-2011

Channel rehabilitation, or reconfiguration, to mitigate a variety of riverine problems has become a common practice in the western United States. However, additional work to monitor and assess the channel response to, and the effectiveness of, these modifications over longer periods of time (decadal or longer) is still needed. The Lake Fork of the Gunnison River has been an area of active channel modification to accommodate the needs of the Lake City community since the 1950s. The Lake Fork Valley Conservancy District began a planning process to assess restoration options for a reach of the Lake Fork in Lake City to enhance hydraulic and ecologic characteristics of the reach. Geomorphic channel form is affected by land-use changes within the basin and geologic controls within the reach. The historic channel was defined as a dynamic, braided channel with an active flood plain. This can result in a natural tendency for the channel to braid. A braided channel can affect channel stability of reconfigured reaches when a single-thread meandering channel is imposed on the stream. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Colorado Water Conservation Board and Colorado River Water Conservation District, began a study in 2010 to quantify existing hydraulic and habitat conditions for a reach of the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River in Lake City, Colorado. The purpose of this report is to quantify existing Lake Fork hydraulic and habitat conditions and establish a baseline against which post-reconfiguration conditions can be compared. This report (1) quantifies the existing hydraulic and geomorphic conditions in a 1.1-kilometer section of the Lake Fork at Lake City that has been proposed as a location for future channel-rehabilitation efforts, (2) characterizes the habitat suitability of the reach for two trout species based on physical conditions within the stream, and (3) characterizes the current riparian canopy density. The FaSTMECH computational flow-model within MD_SWMS was selected to characterize the effects of streamflow on hydraulic and habitat-suitability conditions for a study reach of the Lake Fork. Habitat suitability was evaluated for cutthroat ( Oncorhynchus clarkii ) and brown trout ( Salmo trutta morpha fario ) fry, juveniles, and adults. Microscale (point locations) and mesoscale (reach features) habitats were assessed using the combination of field observations, measurements, and hydraulic simulations within the study reach of the Lake Fork. Microscale trout habitat, presented as weighted usable area, generally increased as streamflow increased for both trout species and all life stages. Areas of suitable microscale habitat occur along the banks for flows of 900 cubic feet per second (ft 3 /s) and less. Out-of-bank areas became more substantial contributors to overall habitat availability for flows of 1,300 ft 3 /s or more when compared to other features. Adult habitat, for both trout species, was the most abundant habitat type for nearly all streamflows. In general, the upper reach provided 2–3 times more available habitat than the lower reach for both trout species. Mesoscale trout habitat of the Lake Fork was assessed based on the conditions present in the 150 ft 3 /s flow simulation as well as field observation. Both the upper and lower reach is primarily characterized as riffle/run habitat. The presence of pool habitat was limited throughout both reaches and occurred along the channel margins. For both reaches, the pool habitat was less than 5 percent of the total wetted area, a percentage that is substantially lower than the recommendations for sustainable populations of 40–70 percent. Areas of cover were adjacent to potential drift feeding areas in the lower reach, and often occurred within the same pool habitat. This may favor energy expenditure ratios of both fish species, wherein little energy is needed to acquire adequate food sources. Sediment mobility is an important process for flushing fine sediments from within the gravel frameworks. Evaluations of channel and flow characteristics at cross-section locations 2–8 show a range of streambed mobility. In general, boundary shear stress and streambed mobility increase with increases in streamflow. Within the cross sections, the greatest boundary shear stress occurs towards the center of the channel. Reach-scale assessment of sediment mobility in the lower reach shows increased streambed mobility. This is due in part to smaller grain sizes in the lower reach, but may also reflect the greater extent of channel alterations, specifically the temporary berms constructed by CDOT in the late 1980s and 1990s, present in this reach.

Colorado↗

USGS2024

Heterologous exchanges of glycoprotein and non-virion protein in novirhabdoviruses: Assessment of virlence in yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) and viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) are rhabdoviruses in two different species belonging to the Novirhabdovirus genus. IHNV has a narrow host range restricted to trout and salmon species, and viruses in the M genogroup of IHNV have high virulence in rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ). In contrast, the VHSV genotype IVb that invaded the Great Lakes in the United States has a broad host range, with high virulence in yellow perch ( Perca flavescens ), but not in rainbow trout. By using reverse-genetic systems of IHNV-M and VHSV-IVb strains, we generated six IHNV:VHSV chimeric viruses in which the glycoprotein (G), non-virion-protein (NV), or both G and NV genes of IHNV-M were replaced with the analogous genes from VHSV-IVb, and vice versa. These chimeric viruses were used to challenge groups of rainbow trout and yellow perch. The parental recombinants rIHNV-M and rVHSV-IVb were highly virulent in rainbow trout and yellow perch, respectively. Parental rIHNV-M was avirulent in yellow perch, and chimeric rIHNV carrying G, NV, or G and NV genes from VHSV-IVb remained low in virulence in yellow perch. Similarly, the parental rVHSV-IVb exhibited low virulence in rainbow trout, and chimeric rVHSV with substituted G, NV, or G and NV genes from IHNV-M remained avirulent in rainbow trout. Thus, the G and NV genes of either virus were not sufficient to confer high host-specific virulence when exchanged into a heterologous species genome. Some exchanges of G and/or NV genes caused a loss of host-specific virulence, providing insights into possible roles in viral virulence or fitness, and interactions between viral proteins.

Viruses↗

USGS2007

Egg thiamine status of Lake Ontario salmonines 1995-2004 with emphasis on lake trout

Alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus), the major prey fish for Lake Ontario, contain thiaminase. They are associated with development of a thiamine deficiency in salmonines which greatly increases the potential for developing an early mortality syndrome (EMS). To assess the possible effects of thiamine deficiency on salmonine reproduction we measured egg thiamine concentrations for five species of Lake Ontario salmonines. From this we estimated the proportion of families susceptible to EMS based on whether they were below the ED20, the egg thiamine concentration associated with 20% mortality due to EMS. The ED20s were 1.52, 2.63, and 2.99 nmol/g egg for Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), and coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), respectively. Based on the proportion of fish having egg thiamine concentrations falling below the ED20, the risk of developing EMS in Lake Ontario was highest for lake trout, followed by coho (O. kisutch), and Chinook salmon, with the least risk for rainbow trout (O. mykiss). For lake trout from western Lake Ontario, mean egg thiamine concentration showed significant annual variability during 1994 to 2003, when the proportion of lake trout at risk of developing EMS based on ED20 ranged between 77 and 100%. Variation in the annual mean egg thiamine concentration for western Lake Ontario lake trout was positively related (p < 0.001, r2 = 0.94) with indices of annual adult alewife biomass. While suggesting the possible involvement of density-dependent changes in alewives, the changes are small relative to egg thiamine concentrations when alewife are not part of the diet and are of insufficient magnitude to allow for natural reproduction by lake trout.

Journal of Great Lakes Research↗

USGS2016

Effect of electric barrier on passage and physical condition of juvenile and adult rainbow trout

Electric barriers can inhibit passage and injure fish. Few data exist on electric barrier parameters that minimize these impacts and on how body size affects susceptibility, especially to nontarget fish species. The goal of this study was to determine electric barrier voltage and pulse-width settings that inhibit passage of larger bodied rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (215–410 mm fork length) while allowing passage of smaller bodied juvenile rainbow trout (52–126 mm) in a static laboratory setting. We exposed rainbow trout to 30-Hz pulsed-direct current voltage gradients (0.00–0.45 V cm −1 ) and pulse widths (0.0–0.7 ms) and recorded their movement, injury incidence, and mortality. No settings tested allowed all juveniles to pass while impeding all adult passage. Juvenile and adult rainbow trout avoided the barrier at higher pulse widths, and fewer rainbow trout passed the barrier at 0.7-ms pulse width compared to 0.1 ms and when the barrier was turned off. We found no effect of voltage gradient on fish passage. No mortality occurred, and we observed external bruising in 5 (7%) juvenile rainbow trout and 15 (21%) adult rainbow trout. This study may aid managers in selecting barrier settings that allow for increased juvenile passage.

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management↗