Coho salmon spawner mortality in western US urban watersheds: bioinfiltration prevents lethal storm water impacts.

ABSTRACT: Adult coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch return each autumn to freshwater spawning habitats throughout western North America. The migration coincides with increasing seasonal rainfall, which in turn increases storm water run-off, particularly in urban watersheds with extensive impervious land cover. Previous field assessments in urban stream networks have shown that adult coho are dying prematurely at high rates (>50%). Despite significant management concerns for the long-term conservation of threatened wild coho populations, a causal role for toxic run-off in the mortality syndrome has not been demonstrated.We exposed otherwise healthy coho spawners to: (i) artificial storm water containing mixtures of metals and petroleum hydrocarbons, at or above concentrations previously measured

SUBMITTER: Spromberg JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5019255 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature