Survival, Development, and Growth of Fall Chinook Salmon Embryos, Alevins, and Fry Exposed to Variable Thermal and Dissolved Oxygen Regimes

Abstract

Some fall Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha initiate spawning in the Snake River downstream of Hells Canyon Dam at temperatures that exceed 13°C and at intergravel dissolved oxygen concentrations that are less than 8 mg O₂/L. Although water temperature declines and dissolved oxygen increases soon after spawning, the initial temperature and dissolved oxygen levels do not meet the water quality standards established by the states of Oregon and Idaho for salmonid spawning. Our objective was to determine whether temperatures from 13°C to 17°C and dissolved oxygen levels from 4 to more than 8 mg O₂/L during the first 40 d of incubation followed by declining temperature and rising dissolved oxygen affected survival, development, and growth of Snake River fall Chinook salmon embryos, alevins, and fry. During the first 40 d of incubation, temperatures were experimentally adjusted downward approximately 0.2°C/d and oxygen was increased in increments of 2 mg O₂/L to mimic the thermal and oxygen regime of the Snake River where these fish spawn. At 40 d postfertilization, embryos were moved to a common exposure regime that followed the thermal and dissolved oxygen profile of the Snake River through emergence. Mortality of fall Chinook salmon embryos increased markedly at initial incubation temperatures of 17°C or more, and a rapid decline in survival occurred between 16.5°C and 17°C; there were no significant differences in survival at temperatures up to 16.5°C. Initial dissolved oxygen levels as low as 4 mg O₂/L over a range of initial temperatures from 15°C to 16.5°C did not affect embryo survival to emergence. There were no significant differences in alevin and fry size at hatch and emergence across the range of initial temperature exposures. The number of days from fertilization to eyed egg, hatch, and emergence was highly related to temperature and dissolved oxygen; fish required from 6 to 10 d longer to reach hatch at 4 mg O₂/L than at saturation and up to 24 d longer to reach emergence. In contrast, within each dissolved oxygen treatment, fish required about 20 d longer to reach hatch at 13°C than at 16.5°C (no data were available for 17°C) and up to 41 d longer to reach emergence. Overall, this study indicates that exposure to water temperatures up to 16.5°C will not have deleterious effects on survival or growth from egg to emergence if temperatures decline at a rate of 0.2°C/d or more after spawning. Although fall Chinook salmon survived low initial dissolved oxygen levels, the delay in emergence could have significant long-term effects on their survival. Thus, an exemption to the state water quality standards for temperature—but not oxygen—may be warranted for the portions of the Snake River where fall Chinook salmon spawn.