Acoustic Imaging Observes Predator–Prey Interactions between Bull Trout and Migrating Sockeye Salmon Smolts
Corresponding Author
Matthew L. H. Cheng
Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, 46 College Road, Durham, New Hampshire, 03824 USA
Department of Fisheries at Lena Point, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 17101 Point Lena Loop Road, Juneau, Alaska, 99801 USA
Corresponding author: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorScott G. Hinch
Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4 Canada
Search for more papers by this authorFrancis Juanes
Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Post Office Box 1700 Station CSC, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 2Y2 Canada
Search for more papers by this authorStephen J. Healy
Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4 Canada
Search for more papers by this authorAndrew G. Lotto
Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4 Canada
Search for more papers by this authorSydney J. Mapley
Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, 46 College Road, Durham, New Hampshire, 03824 USA
Search for more papers by this authorNathan B. Furey
Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, 46 College Road, Durham, New Hampshire, 03824 USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Matthew L. H. Cheng
Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, 46 College Road, Durham, New Hampshire, 03824 USA
Department of Fisheries at Lena Point, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 17101 Point Lena Loop Road, Juneau, Alaska, 99801 USA
Corresponding author: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorScott G. Hinch
Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4 Canada
Search for more papers by this authorFrancis Juanes
Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Post Office Box 1700 Station CSC, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 2Y2 Canada
Search for more papers by this authorStephen J. Healy
Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4 Canada
Search for more papers by this authorAndrew G. Lotto
Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4 Canada
Search for more papers by this authorSydney J. Mapley
Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, 46 College Road, Durham, New Hampshire, 03824 USA
Search for more papers by this authorNathan B. Furey
Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, 46 College Road, Durham, New Hampshire, 03824 USA
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Annual migrations by juvenile Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. smolts are predictable, presenting opportunities for predators to exploit these seasonal prey pulses. Directly observing predator–prey interactions to understand factors affecting predation may be possible via dual-frequency identification sonar (DIDSON) acoustic imaging. Within Chilko Lake, British Columbia, prior telemetry and stomach content analyses suggested that the out-migration of Sockeye Salmon Oncorhynchus nerka smolts influences the movements and aggregations of Bull Trout Salvelinus confluentus that feed extensively on smolts during their out-migration. Bull Trout captured at a government-installed counting fence exhibited high consumption of smolts, but it is only assumed that feeding occurred directly at the fence. We used DIDSON to assess fine-scale predator–prey interactions between Sockeye Salmon smolts and Bull Trout over 10 d during the 2016 smolt out-migration. We found that smolt–Bull Trout interactions were correlated with smolt densities at the counting fence, consistent with the prior diet studies in the system. Predator–prey interactions were also coupled with nocturnal migratory behaviors of Sockeye Salmon smolts, presumably to minimize predation risk. These results demonstrate that DIDSON technology can record interactions between predators and migrating prey at a resolution that can identify variability in space and time and provide insight on the role of anthropogenic structures (e.g., counting fences) in mediating such interactions.
Supporting Information
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