Effects of smolt length and emigration timing on marine survival and age at maturity of wild coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) at Auke Creek, Juneau Alaska

Abstract

Coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch smolt were collected during the 1993-1997 emigrations at Auke Creek near Juneau, Alaska. Each day emigrants were separated into four size categories: small <90 mm), medium (90 - 110 mm), large (111 - 125 mm), and extra large (> 125 mm), tagged with a sequentially coded-wire tag, and released at tidewater. Tags from returning adults and jacks were collected and decoded in 1993-1998. Most survivors originated from the large and extra large categories, 40.5% and 43.1%, respectively. Large smolts contributed 28.9% to smolt-to-jack returns, significantly less than the smolt-to-jack survival contributed by extra large smolts, 67.8%. Smolt year, emigration date, and smolt length were significant in determining the length of returning jacks. In the 1993 and 1997 smolt years, significantly smaller returning adults originated from smolts that migrated later. Larger smolts produced significantly larger returning adults in all smolt years except 1994.