Otolith stable isotope methods to infer migration strategies of age four adult Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii)
Date
2023-09-19
Authors
Bennett, Anakin
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Abstract
Pacific Herring in the Strait of Georgia overwinter on the east coast of Vancouver Island before spawning and migrating to the west coast for summer foraging. An unknown portion of the population are non-migrants and remain as residents continually. A lack of documentation has led to these groups being managed as a single aggregate stock. Research conducted at UVic has suggested that resident Herring are a critical component of the local food web. This study will work to determine if the differences in the otolith-stable isotopes d13C and d18O are viable markers to differentiate migration types for an individual. Should this prove successful, these markers will be later applied to determine whether growth at critical life stages is connected to migration types and used to improve our understanding of the impact fisheries exploitation has on the Pacific Herring stock.
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Keywords
Herring, Otolith, Isotope, Migration, Oxygen-18, Carbon-13