Abstract:Oncorhynchus mykiss form partially migratory populations with anadromous fish that undergo marine migrations and residents that complete their life cycle in fresh water. Many populations' anadromous components are threatened or endangered, prompting interest in understanding ecological and evolutionary processes underlying anadromy and residency. In this paper, we synthesize information to better understand genetic and environmental influences on O. mykiss life histories, identify critical knowledge gaps, and suggest next steps. Anadromy and residency appear to reflect interactions among genetics, individual condition, and environmental influences. First, an increasing body of literature suggests that anadromous and resident individuals differ in the expression of genes related to growth, smoltification, and metabolism. Second, the literature supports the conditional strategy theory, where individuals adopt a life history pattern based on their conditional status relative to genetic thresholds along with ultimate effects of size and age at maturation and iteroparity. However, except for a generally positive association between residency and high lipid content plus a large attainable size in fresh water, the effects of body size and growth are inconsistent. Thus, individuals can exhibit plasticity in variable environments. Finally, patterns in anadromy and residency among and within populations suggested a wide range of possible environmental influences at different life stages, from freshwater temperature to marine survival. Although we document a number of interesting correlations, direct tests of mechanisms are scarce and little data exist on the extent of residency and anadromy. Consequently, we identified as many data gaps as conclusions, leaving ample room for future research.Résumé : Les truites arc-en-ciel (Oncorhynchus mykiss) forment des populations partiellement migratrices incluant des individus anadromes qui effectuent des migrations marines et des individus résidents dont le cycle biologique se déroule entièrement en eau douce. Les éléments anadromes de nombreuses populations sont menacés ou en voie de disparition, ce qui suscite un intérêt envers la compréhension des processus écologiques et évolutionnaires qui sous-tendent l'anadromie et la résidence. Nous présentons une synthèse de l'information disponible dans le but de mieux comprendre les influences génétiques et environnementales sur les cycles biologiques d'O. mykiss, de cerner les lacunes critiques en matière de connaissances et de proposer des avenues de recherche future. L'anadromie et la résidence semblent témoigner d'interactions entre la génétique, l'état des individus et des influences environnementales. D'abord, de plus en plus d'études donnent à penser que les individus anadromes et résidents diffèrent sur le plan de l'expression des gènes associés à la croissance, à la smoltification et au métabolisme. Deuxièmement, la documentation appuie la théorie de la stratégie conditionnelle selon laquelle les individus adoptent un m...

Declines in animal body sizes are widely reported and likely impact ecological interactions and ecosystem services. For harvested species subject to multiple stressors, limited understanding of the causes and consequences of size declines impedes prediction, prevention, and mitigation. We highlight widespread declines in Pacific salmon size based on 60 years of measurements from 12.5 million fish across Alaska, the last largely pristine North American salmon-producing region. Declines in salmon size, primarily resulting from shifting age structure, are associated with climate and competition at sea. Compared to salmon maturing before 1990, the reduced size of adult salmon after 2010 has potentially resulted in substantial losses to ecosystems and people; for Chinook salmon we estimated average per-fish reductions in egg production (−16%), nutrient transport (−28%), fisheries value (−21%), and meals for rural people (−26%). Downsizing of organisms is a global concern, and current trends may pose substantial risks for nature and people.

Life history traits of wild animals can be strongly influenced, both phenotypically and evolutionarily, by hunting and fishing. However, few studies have quantified fishery selection over long time periods. We used 57 years of catch and escapement data to document the magnitude of and trends in gillnet selection on age and size at maturity of a commercially and biologically important sockeye salmon stock. Overall, the fishery has caught larger fish than have escaped to spawn, but selection has varied over time, becoming weaker and less consistent recently. Selection patterns were strongly affected by fish age and sex, in addition to extrinsic factors including fish abundance, mesh size regulations, and fish length variability. These results revealed a more complex and changing pattern of selective harvest than the ‘larger is more vulnerable’ model, emphasizing the need for quantified, multi-year studies before conclusions can be drawn about potential evolutionary and ecological effects of fishery selection. Furthermore, the results indicate that biologically robust escapement goals and prevention of harvest of the largest individuals may help prevent negative effects of size-selective harvest.

Examination of population abundance and survival trends over space and time can guide management and conservation actions with information about the spatial and temporal scale of factors affecting them. Here, we analyzed steelhead trout (anadromous Oncorhynchus mykiss) adult abundance time series from 35 coastal British Columbia and Washington populations along with smolt-to-adult return (smolt survival) time series from 48 populations from Washington, Oregon, and the Keogh River in British Columbia. Over 80% of the populations have declined in abundance since 1980. A multivariate autoregressive statespace model revealed smolt survival four groupings: Washington and Oregon coast, lower Columbia River, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Puget Sound -Keogh River populations. Declines in smolt survival rates were seen for three of the four groupings. Puget Sound and Keogh River populations have experienced low rates since the early 1990s. Correlations between population pairs' time series and distance apart illustrated that smolt survival rates were more positively correlated for proximate populations, suggesting that important processes, including those related to ocean survival, occur early in the marine life of steelhead. Les populations du Puget Sound et de la rivière Keogh présentent de faibles taux de survie depuis le début des années 1990. Les corrélations entre les séries chronologiques de paires de populations et les distances les séparant illustrent le fait que les taux de survie des saumoneaux montrent de plus fortes corrélations positives pour les populations rapprochées, ce qui porte à croire que des processus importants, dont les processus associés à la survie en mer, s'exercent au début de la vie en mer des truites arc-en-ciel anadromes. [Traduit par la Rédaction]