Determination of Smolt Status in Juvenile Anadromous Rainbow Trout and ChinookSalmon

摘要

Gill sodium, potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase (Na+,K+-ATPase)activity was used as a quantitative measure of the progress of smoltification in non-native populations of salmonines that are stocked into Minnesota waters of Lake Superior. Because olfactory imprinting occurs concurrently with smoltification, it is important for fisheries managers to know when smoltification occurs. Stocking before smoltification is critical to fisheries that depend on homing to particular locations. Readiness to smolt cannot be reliably assumed from superficial criteria such as coloration, length, weight, condition factor, water temperature, date, or emigration behavior in general.