SIUSLAW NEWS z SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2015
3 B
Warmer water affecting juvenile salmon, study suggests
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
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
Siuslaw
from 1B
took on Philomath and narrowly
lost to the Warriors in team scor-
ing, 48-36. Siuslaw then moved
on to round three, facing Douglas
✔
in the journal PLOS One.
“When young salmon come
out to sea and the water is
warm, they need more food to
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.
and defeating the Trojans 42-36.
“That gave us some momen-
tum,” said Wartnik. “Match by
match, our top wrestlers were
bringing it to the mats and our
younger wrestlers kept getting
better and more aggressive.”
After defeating South Umpqua
38-24, Siuslaw moved on to its
final matchup, taking on Far West
rival North Bend.
In that faceoff, freshman
Murray Bingham provided a
major upset in the 132-pound
match. Finding himself trailing
17-3 in the third round with time
running out, Murray chose the
“up” position to lead off.
“Murray is strong on top,” said
Wartnik. “I knew if he could get a
hold of his opponent he could pin
him.”
The whistle blew, with
Bingham putting his opponent
into an arm-and-bar before grab-
bing his wrist and putting the
Bulldog onto his back. From
there, Bingham was able to nab
the pin for the win as the clock
expired.
The Viks will get a break
before returning to the mats Jan. 7
to host the Far West League
Round Robin tournament at
Siuslaw High School.
Fishing
are actively spawning or
spawned out.
The wild coho fishery is
now closed for the season.
Winter steelhead season is
just getting underway. This
time of year typically sees the
first few fish entering the
river. Best chances early on
during lower flows will come
from below the town of Siletz.
Side drifting, bouncing bot-
tom or bobber fishing can be
productive.
fishery going. The wild coho
fishery is now closed for the
year.
Tenmile Creek but does not
open in Eel Creek until Jan. 1.
A couple anglers have been
out for steelhead in Tenmile
Creek but so far there are no
reports of any steelhead being
caught.
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spawning. A small number of
new fish may enter the basin
over the next couple weeks.
Winter steelhead season has
arrived. The best chances to
hook a chrome steelhead at
this time would be in the
lower section below Five
Rivers. Tossing spinners, or
floating bait or a jig are good
options during low clear
flows.
SALMON RIVER: Chinook,
steelhead
The fall Chinook fishery is
very slow. Most remaining
fish are actively spawning or
already spawned out.
Winter steelhead season
tends to kick in this time of
year. A small number of fish
are likely in the system now
and look for the numbers to
steadily increase over the com-
ing month. Casting lures,
bouncing the bottom or drift-
ing jigs or bait under a bobber
are good techniques to consid-
er.
SILETZ RIVER: Chinook,
coho, steelhead
The fall Chinook fishery is
slow. A small number of new
fish may be found in the lower
river but most remaining fish
WILSON RIVER:
Steelhead, Chinook
The river was at flood stage
through mid-week. When the
river drops, fall Chinook and
winter steelhead will be avail-
able. Fishing should be fair to
good. Anglers are reminded
that the river above Jordan
Creek is closed to all salmon
fishing.
YAQUINA RIVER: Chinook,
steelhead
Anglers are having very lit-
tle success for fall Chinook in
the upper section of tide water.
Most fish are now on the
spawning grounds. The winter
steelhead run is now under-
way.
The Big Elk tends to start
seeing fish this time of year in
small numbers. Look for the
next good rain event to get the
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1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200
COOS COUNTY LAKES and
PONDS: Trout, yellow perch
Fishing for trout has been
decent in Bradley Lake south
of Bandon and in Butterfield
Lake north of Coos Bay.
Anglers have been catching
some of the large trophy trout
stocked this year on small flies
or slowly trolling spinners.
Trout will not be stocked
again until the spring.
Yellow perch fishing has
been good in lakes like
Saunders Lake. Fishing a
worm on the bottom in deep
water should provide lots of
bites for yellow perch.
UMPQUA RIVER, SOUTH:
Steelhead
The South Umpqua is cur-
rently open to adipose fin-
clipped steelhead harvest, and
winter steelhead fishing should
pick up with the recent rains.
There will be excellent hatch-
ery steelhead harvest opportu-
nities on the South Umpqua as
the season progresses, espe-
cially around Stanton Park in
Canyonville.
TENMILE BASIN: Trout,
largemouth bass, yellow perch,
coho
Streams in the Tenmile
Basin are now closed for trout
fishing until May 22, 2016.
Tenmile Lakes is open all year
for trout but trout fishing has
been slow.
Yellow perch fishing has
been very good for anglers in
boats and from the fishing
dock at the County Boat
Ramp. A worm or piece of cut
bait fished near the bottom
works well for catching yellow
perch.
Wild coho season is open in
Tenmile Lakes until Dec.
31.The bag limit is 1 wild
coho per day and 5 wild coho
for the season in aggregate
with all other wild coho fish-
eries in the NW and SW
zones. Anglers casting spin-
ners have started catching
coho in the upper arms of the
lakes.
Steelhead fishing is open in
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WINCHESTER BAY:
Bottomfish, perch, crab
Fishing for bottomfish in
the Triangle and South jetty
has been successful. Crabbing
has been productive, but
Chinook and coho fishing has
slowed in the ocean off of
Winchester Bay and in the
lower Umpqua River.
PACIFIC OCEAN and
BEACHES: Bottomfish,
Dungeness crab,
The ocean is now closed to
harvest of Dungeness crab.
Ocean salmon fishing is
now closed.
Pacific halibut fishing is
closed.
Fishing for bottom fish is
now open to fishing at all-
depths. Fishing for black rock-
fish and lingcod continues to
be very good from Charleston
to Bandon when the ocean is
calm enough for anglers to get
out on the water. The marine
fish daily bag limit is seven
fish and a separate daily limit
for lingcod (two). Anglers can
only keep 3 blue rockfish and
1 canary rockfish as part of
their daily limit and there will
be no harvest of China, quill-
back, or copper rockfish.
Retention of cabezon is now
allowed at 1 fish per day and
at least 16-inches long.
B AY CLAMS :
Clamming for bay clams
(not razor clams) along the
entire Oregon Coast. For those
who don’t mind the dark, there
will be minus tides during sev-
eral evenings in December:
take a headlamp or flashlight,
warm clothing, and a spirit of
adventure. Otherwise, during
the day, several clam species
can be found even when low
tides aren’t so low: softshell
and purple varnish clams
occur primarily above +1.0,
and cockles, butters and
gapers can be found at tides as
high as +1.0.
C RABBING :
NORTH OF HECETA
HEAD, The ocean and bays
are open for crabbing.
Red rock crab may also be
caught, however they are not
present in all Oregon bays.
Good places to try are from
the docks in Tillamook Bay
and Yaquina Bay. Red rock
crab are caught using the same
gear as Dungeness crab but
have a larger daily limit (24).
Unlike Dungeness crab, any
size or sex of red rock crab
may be retained, though only
large ones have enough meat
to bother with.