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SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2015 3 B Study suggests warmer water tough on juvenile salmon NEWPORT — A new analy- sis of juvenile Chinook salmon in the Pacific Ocean documents a dramatic difference in their foraging habits and overall health between years of warm 541-999-5083 water and those when the water is colder. The study found that when the water is warmer than aver- age — by only two degrees Celsius — young salmon con- sume 30 percent more food than during cold-water regimes. Yet they are smaller and skinnier during those warm- water years, likely because they have to work harder to secure food and the prey they consume has less caloric energy. Results of the research, con- ducted by researchers from Oregon State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, are being published this week in the journal PLOS One. “When young salmon come out to sea and the water is warm, they need more food to The Perfect Timeless Gift The Art of Katheryn Davis Volume One $75 Volume Two $110 ● 8-½ x 11, hardbound ● 248 pages in full color ● 220 watercolor & oil paintings ● 8-½ x 11, hardbound ● 350 pages in full color ● 380 watercolor & oil paintings, all different from Volume One Available on-line and at Quiet Waters Art Gallery and Pro Lumber in Florence Quiet Waters Publishing 89190 Sherwood Island Road ● Florence, Oregon 97439 ● (541) 997-8940 on-line at: www.katheryndavis.com Our New 2016 Community Calendar is Here! N O G E R O , E C N E R ENDA R L A C Y T FLO I MUN 2016 COM $ e Siuslaw by th Produced keep their metabolic rate up, yet there is less available food and they have to work harder,” said Elizabeth Daly, an Oregon State senior faculty research assistant with the Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies, a joint program of OSU and NOAA. “Our long-term data set con- tradicts the long-held assump- tion that salmon eat less during warm-water regimes,” Daly added. “They actually eat more. But they still don’t fare as well. When the water is warm, salmon are smaller and thin- ner.” Daly teamed with Richard Brodeur, a NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center researcher, to examine 19 years of juvenile salmon surveys, from 1981-85 and 1998-2011. The rich, long-term data set revealed the trophic habits, size and condition of yearling Chinook salmon caught soon after they migrated to the ocean. The researchers found that during both warm- and cold- water regimes, the diet of the salmon is primarily fish, but when the water is cold, they also consume more lipid-rich krill and Pacific sand lance. When the water is warmer, the salmon’s diet had more juvenile rockfish and crab larvae. Previous research led by Bill Peterson, a NOAA fisheries biologist and courtesy profes- sor in OSU’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS), found that the makeup of copepods during cold-water years differs greatly than during warm-water years. In cold years, these small crus- taceans drift down from the north and are lipid-rich, with much higher nutrient levels than copepods from the south. And though salmon may not directly consume these cope- pods, they are eating the fish that do consume them, noted Brodeur, also a courtesy faculty member in CEOAS. “The warm years typically have less upwelling that brings the cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface,” Brodeur said. “Or in the case of 2005, the upwelling was so late that many of the salmon died because there was no food when they entered the ocean.” “Salmon populations may be able to handle one year of warm temperatures and sparse food,” Brodeur added. “But two or three years in a row could be disastrous – especially for wild fish populations. They may have to travel much farther north to find any food.” Hatchery-raised salmon that are released in similar numbers in warm- or cold-water years may fare slightly better during bad ocean conditions, the researchers noted, because they tend to be larger when they enter the marine environment. Daly and Brodeur, who work out of OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Oregon, said that the 19 survey years they analyzed included 10 warm-water years and nine cold-water years. In some cases, the warm water was a result of an El Niño, while in other years it was a lack of upwelling. During the last two years, an unusually large, warm body of water has settled into the ocean off the Pacific Northwest that scientists have dubbed “The Blob,” which is forecast to be followed this winter by a fairly strong El Niño event. Though recent spring Chinook salmon runs have been strong due to cooler ocean conditions in 2012-13, the impact of this long stretch of warm water on juvenile fish may bode poorly for future runs. “So far this year, we’ve seen a lot of juvenile salmon with empty stomachs,” Daly said. “The pressure to find food is going to be great. Of those fish that did have food in their stomachs, there was an unusual amount of juvenile rockfish and no signs of Pacific sand lance or krill. “Not only does this warm water make it more difficult for the salmon to find food, it increases the risk of their own predation as they spend more time eating and less time avoid- ing predators,” she added. ‘Speak Whale’ along the Oregon coast For the holiday During the winter season, share the gift and spring months, of whale watching on Oregon State Parks the Oregon Coast. posts trained volunteers From Dec. 27 at prime viewing points through 31, Winter along the Oregon Coast Whale Watch Week to help visitors spot the is one of the best mighty mammals. times of the year to Its “Whale Watching spot gray whales off Spoken Here” signs the stormy Oregon identify the volunteers. coastal shores. They will point out spe- Approximately cial behaviors such as 18,000 whales will spy hopping, breaching, COURTESY PHOTO travel 12,000 miles and spouting, as well as south to Mexico, The tail of a migrating gray whale appears discuss whale feeding, where they will give off the coast near Cape Perpetua. courtship and migra- birth to their calves. tion patterns. There are nearly Just a few years ago, watching excursions for the 40 different volunteer staffed winter,” says Loren Goddard, the whale population dipped to locations where you can spot one of the owners of Dockside 1,800 making them “commer- gray whales on the Oregon Charters. “Typically our excur- cially extinct.” Coast, including the 10th floor sions are an hour long, but Today, under the protection of the prestigious Inn at because the whales are moving of the Mexican and US govern- Spanish Head in Lincoln City. fast to Mexico, we have to ments, the population has From the top floor, visitors accommodate for that. We rec- grown to more than 20,000 can spot these creatures nearly ommend that visitors make whales. every hour in late December as reservations early because the Gray whales can grow up to they make their journey. 45 feet in length (13.7 meters) winter excursions are very For a more up-close and per- popular.” — longer than a city bus — sonal view, Dockside Charters Goddard says what makes and weigh more than 45 tons in Depoe Bay offers daily the trips so popular is that (41,000 kg). whale watching excursions "Visitors are curious about To schedule a whale-watch- starting in mid-December. ing trip, contact Dockside whales on the coast. And the Just 8 miles south of Lincoln whales are just as curious Charters at 541-765-2545. City, Depoe Bay is considered about us as we are of them,” To learn more about the win- the “Whale Watching Capital Goddard explains. “The best ter and spring whale-watching of the Oregon Coast” and is part is when they come right up seasons, contact the Depoe also home to the Oregon State to the boat. Seeing these mam- Bay Whale Watching Center at Parks Whale Watching Center. mals up-close is a very special 800-551-6949 or visit www. “We offer 90-minute whale experience.” whalespoken.org. 5 ews.com w.siuslawn News • ww Subscribe to the Siuslaw News before December 31, 2015 and you will receive our new 2016 Community Calendar Present or renewing subscribers will receive calendars in their newspaper on December 9th. Attention Riverfront property owners... CRANE BARGE ON THE SIUSLAW RIVER. We are available for any dock work such as; pile driving, dock construction or repair, gangway installations, or any other services. Billeter Marine, LLC Contact us at: www.TheSiuslawNews.com or 541-997-3441 541-269-8600 www.billetermarine.com