Blood Analyte and Morphometric Reference Intervals in Freshwater Adult Wild Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)
Abstract
Pacific sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) are a critical fishery resource for the native Alaskan population and economy.3 Sockeye salmon are recognized as least concern to endangered by the IUCN depending on the subpopulation along portions of Alaska down to the U.S. West Coast. This species is found in the Pacific Rim off the coast of Russia, Alaska, British Columbia, and Northwest United States. Many subpopulations are threatened or vulnerable. Sockeye salmon populations have been declining due to global environmental pressures and human interaction such as overfishing, habitat loss, and pollution.1,5,6 Minimal data exists investigating baseline health parameters of this species.2,4 This project established blood analyte and morphometric reference ranges for adult freshwater migrating sockeye salmon. Sockeye salmon were caught with hook and line from three different locations along the Alaskan Kenai Peninsula from 19–22 July, 2022. The fish were weighed, measured, rectal and external temperatures were obtained, and whole blood was collected via the caudal hemal arch. The data collected can be utilized to evaluate captive and wild salmonid population health.
Acknowledgments
We would like to give a special thank you to the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward for all of their help in this project and the NC State University Koller Endowment for supplying us with funding to make our project possible.
*Presenting author
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