PURPOSE: These data have been updated following a Canadian Science Advice Secretariat (CSAS) Regional Science Advisory Process. Associated publications are available in the citation section below or will be posted on the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Science Advisory Schedule as they become available. Describe the total returns of large and small salmon to each Salmon Fishing Area (SFA) and to Gulf region rivers overall. DESCRIPTION: Total returns estimates of large and small salmon from SFA 15 to 18 and to Gulf region rivers as part of the stock assessment to year 2021. USE LIMITATION: To ensure scientific integrity and appropriate use of the data, we would encourage you to contact the data custodian.

Scales are collected annually from smolt trapping operations in Maine as wellas other sampling opportunities (e.g. marine surveys, fishery sampling etc.). Scale samples are imaged and age, origin, and measurement data are collected as needed for specific growth-related research.

The global seafood production of marine finfish is dominated by Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) reared in marine net-pens. Incidents and structural failures may lead to salmon escaping net-pens with their fate being poorly understood, particularly for small-scale escape events (N < 100). This study sought to identify spatial patterns and the fate of Atlantic salmon post-smolts following a simulated escape event from an aquaculture site in the Bay of Fundy. Farmed salmon (N = 99) were implanted with an ultrasonic acoustic tag and were released from a farm in small groups (N ≤ 5). Using an established acoustic array, we tracked fish movement patterns and mortality over a ~4 month period. Predation events by warm-bodied predators were assayed using the tag’s temperature sensors. Fish took ~5.0 h to leave the release site and initially opted to either move further inshore (N = 8) or out to sea (N = 73), though a large number of fish returned to the release site spending a large proportion of their time budget there (~26.4%). Several fish (N = 14) were also observed in nearby river estuaries. Most fish (72.7%) succumbed to predation shortly after release (mean time to predation = 57.9 h). Our findings suggest that there is a strong association of salmon with the release site that may result from seasonal migratory tendencies, which could be exploited to improve recovery of escapees. Also, predation may serve to limit the number of escapee salmon entering the natural environment following a small-scale release. Cite this data as: Lawrence, M.J., Wilson, B.M., Wringe, B.F., Hawkes, J.P., Hardie, D.C., Hamoutene, D., Flávio, H., English, G., Black, M., McKindsey, C.W., Trudel, M. Movement patterns and predator-prey interactions of domestic Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) following an experimental release in a highly dynamic marine environment. Published April 2025. Coastal Ecosystem Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St Andrews, NB.

Subadult and smolt behavioral data were compiled by Ali Mokdad from Trevor Pitcher's lab at the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Data are comprised of fish reactions in choice flume video data (attractance/avoidance) collected by Jeremy Kraus at Tunison Lab of Aquatic Science, August 2021 and February 2020 respectively. Atlantic salmon were exposed/not exposed to imprinting chemical (morpholine) through early life stages and later tested based on their treatment to see how individuals react to the presence of exposure chemicals during subsequent life stages. These data show how the adult stage Atlantic salmon of this study ((non exposed (control) and treatment (morpholine exposed)) react to timed exposure of morpholine dilution at the 3+ and 1+ year life stages. Imprinted Atlantic salmon morphometric data were collected Feb 20, 2020 at Tunison Lab. These data represent growth (length (mm) and weight (g)) of experimental Atlantic salmon, just after imprinting flume tests were completed for their life stage/age.

Subadult and smolt behavioral data were compiled by Ali Mokdad from Trevor Pitcher's lab at the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Data are comprised of fish reactions in choice flume video data (attractance/avoidance) collected by Jeremy Kraus at Tunison Lab of Aquatic Science, August 2021 and February 2020 respectively. Atlantic salmon were exposed/not exposed to imprinting chemical (morpholine) through early life stages and later tested based on their treatment to see how individuals react to the presence of exposure chemicals during subsequent life stages. These data show how the adult stage Atlantic salmon of this study ((non exposed (control) and treatment (morpholine exposed)) react to timed exposure of morpholine dilution at the 3+ and 1+ year life stages. Imprinted Atlantic salmon morphometric data were collected Feb 20, 2020 at Tunison Lab. These data represent growth (length (mm) and weight (g)) of experimental Atlantic salmon, just after imprinting flume tests were completed for their life stage/age.

Data is available from annual bottom longline surveys conducted cooperatively by Japan (1979-1994) and the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Center (1988-present). Starting in 1988, the U.S. started conducting the survey, creating overlap between the two countries between1988-1994. Since 1994, the U.S. has conducted the survey independently. Stations are spaced systematically (~20-30 km apart) along the slope from the eastern Gulf of Alaska west to the Aleutian Islands and north into the eastern Bering Sea. At each station, depths from ~150-1000 meters are sampled. Each year the captain attempts to set the gear along the same path. The same stations are sampled each year except in the Aleutian Islands and the Bering Sea, which are sampled every other year at the beginning of the survey (last week of May-early June). Since 1995, in odd years the Bering Sea stations are sampled and in even years the Aleutian Islands are sampled. The status of each hook is recorded. Lengths are taken from major species including, sablefish, giant grenadier, Pacific grenadier, Greenland turbot, arrowtooth flounder, Pacific cod, shortspine thornyhead, and all rockfish caught.

Ecosystem-based fisheries management requires the development of physical and biological time series that index ocean productivity for stock assessment and recruitment forecasts for commercially important species. Since recruitment in marine fish is related to ocean condition, we developed proxies for ocean conditions based on sea surface temperature and biometric measurements of chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) captured in the walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) fishery in the eastern Bering Sea in three periods (July 16-30, September 1-15, and September 16-30). The main purpose of this paper was to evaluate Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) growth as a possible indicator of ocean conditions that, in turn, may affect age-1 pollock recruitment. Marine growth rates of Pacific salmon are the result of a complex interplay of physical, biological, and population-based factors that fish experience as they range through oceanic habitats. These growth rates can therefore be viewed as indicators of recent ocean productivity. Thus, our hypothesis is that estimated intra-annual growth in body weight of immature and maturing age-4 male and female chum salmon may be used as a biological indicator of variations in rearing conditions also experienced by age 0 walleye pollock; consequently, they may be used to predict the recruitment to age-1 in walleye pollock. Summer SSTs and chum salmon growth at the end of July and September explained the largest amount of variability in walleye pollock recruitment indicating that physical and biological indices of ocean productivity can index fish recruitment.

A time series of scale samples (1956 2002) collected from adult sockeye salmon returning to Naknek River were retrieved from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. These scales were digitized, revealing growth information for the freshwater and marine life history stages of sockeye salmon. The growth information will be related to time series of sockeye salmon production to Bristol Bay and oceanographic conditions within the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean.

To better understand how density-dependent growth of ocean-dwelling Pacific salmon varied with climate and population dynamics, we examined the marine growth of sockeye salmon in relation to an index of sockeye salmon abundances among climate regimes, population abundances, and body sizes under varied life history stages, from 1925 to 1998 using ordinary least squares and multivariate adaptive regression spline threshold models. The annual marine growth and body size during the juvenile, immature, and maturing life stages were estimated from increments on the scales of adult age 2.2 sockeye salmon that returned to spawn at Karluk River and Lake on Kodiak Island, Alaska. Intra-specific density-dependent growth was inferred from inverse relationships between growth and sockeye salmon abundance based on commercial harvest. Density-dependent growth occurred in all marine life stages, during the cool regime, at lower abundance levels, and at smaller body sizes at the start of the juvenile life stage. The finding that density-dependence occurred during the cool regime and at low population abundances suggests that a shift to a cool regime or extreme warm regime at higher population abundances could further reduce the marine growth of salmon and increase competition for resources. Alaska salmon production fluctuates with climate and ocean conditions in the North Pacific Ocean. In this study, we evaluated the hypothesis that faster marine growth was related to higher survival as a consequence of more favorable ocean conditions for growth during the 1927-46 and 1977-2000 warm regimes, and slower growth was related to lower survival as a consequence of less favorable climatic and oceanic conditions for growth during the 1947-76 cool regime. We measured and compared the annual growth on scales collected from age 2.2 sockeye salmon that returned to Karluk Lake on Kodiak Island, Alaska from 1927 to 2000 to regime periods, climatic and oceanic indices, and survival. First and second marine-year scale growth fluctuated with the cool regime and recent warm regime. Survival estimated as the ratio of offspring to parental escapement was lower during the 1925-46 warm regime and 1947-76 cool regime. Survival was positively related to first and second marine year scale growth, eastern North Pacific atmospheric circulation, and reduced winter and spring coastal downwelling in the Gulf of Alaska. Winter and spring climatic and oceanic conditions influences on first and second year marine growth of Karluk Lake sockeye are a possible mechanisms linking Karluk Lake sockeye salmon survival to climate over the past half century.