Distribution, Spawning and the Possibility of Fishery of Introduced Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchusgorbusha Walbaum) in Rivers of Murmansk Oblast

Abstract

Migration patterns of pink salmon, its distribution along the spawning grounds, spawning success, and the potential impact on the reproduction of the native species Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) have been studied in the largest salmon rivers of the White Sea basin on the Kola Peninsula, the Ponoy, Varzuga, and Umba rivers. It is shown that the distribution of pink salmon is not uniform in the rivers with different hydrological characteristics. When choosing spawning grounds, pink salmon prefers shallow riffles with moderate current and fine-fraction bottom sediments. Checking of the spawning redds indicates a poor spawning success of pink salmon. To date, there is no convincing proof of the influence of the invader on the ecosystems of the rivers. For the efficient use of the resource, unrestricted removal of pink salmon by all types of fishing has been proposed, including total catch using fish-counting barriers (FCBs) in the Umba and Varzuga rivers during the entire spawning run.