Spatial and temporal variability of movements among sympatric salmonids in an unfragmented inland watershed.

ABSTRACT: We determined the movement patterns of three abundant salmonids-Brown Trout (Salmo trutta), Mountain Whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni), and Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)-in the Smith River watershed of Montana. We tagged 7,172 fish with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags, monitored their movements past 15 stationary PIT arrays over four years, and located tagged fish between arrays by conducting mobile surveys. Movement patterns varied seasonally, among species, and among locations. Movement was greatest in the middle portion of the watershed, which included a pristine main-stem canyon and lower reaches of major tributaries. Fish rarely left the canyon, but movement into the canyon from other regions was common. Mountain Whitefish were most likely to move,

SUBMITTER: Lance MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11800833 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature