Salish Sea Marine Survival Project Publication #10

Salish Sea Marine Survival Project researchers tracked two groups of acoustically-tagged steelhead migrating through the Strait of Georgia. The first group of steelhead was allowed to outmigrate naturally. The first group’s survival was poorest in the river and at marine entry. The second group of steelhead was released directly into the marine environment, and their survival through Strait of Georgia was more than double the first group. This suggests that the nearshore environment after ocean entry is a region of high mortality for steelhead. Researchers also noted route-specific survival rates, indicating that a steelhead’s migration path through the Strait of Georgia can impact its overall chance of survival. Read more: Healy et al. (2017) Route-specific movements and survival during early marine migration of hatchery steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss smolts in coastal British Columbia. DOI: 10.3354/meps12238