Coldwater fish in a warm water world: Implications for predation of salmon smolts during estuary transit.

ABSTRACT: Predator-prey systems face intensifying pressure from human exploitation and a warming climate with implications for where and how natural resource management can successfully intervene. We hypothesized young salmon migrating to the Pacific Ocean face a seasonally intensifying predator gauntlet when warming water temperature intensifies a multiple predator effect (MPE) from Striped Bass Morone saxatilis and Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides. We evaluated this hypothesis using data synthesis and simulation modeling.Contemporary studies based on acoustically tagged fish reaffirmed older observations that Chinook Salmon smolts must transit the Delta before water temperature reaches 20°C or mortality will be nearly 100%. Striped Bass attack rates on tethered smolts were insen

SUBMITTER: Nobriga ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8328468 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature