Monitoring of sea trout post-smolts, 2012

Monitoring of sea trout post-smolts, 2012 A report to the West Sutherland Fisheries Trust, Report No. WSFT2/13 January 2013 Shona Marshall Fisheries Biologist West Sutherland Fisheries Trust Gardeners Cottage Scourie By Lairg Sutherland IV27 4SX

Monitoring of sea trout post-smolts, 2013 Introduction Started in 1997, this project has enabled the establishment of a good database of the population dynamics of sea trout within the area. Additional information about lice burdens on the trout within the estuaries has also provided an analysis of the relationship between fish farms and sea trout, with particular regard to sea lice (Marshall 2003). The monitoring of post-smolts was originally designed to give an indication of the migrations and growth of sea trout within the area. The individual tagging of fish, combined with the measurements taken at capture, gave a baseline from which to assess these parameters following re-capture by nets or rod and line. In addition to these data, the numbers of sea lice were also assessed. This has now progressed, such that sea lice counts are the main part of the project, with the tagging of fish giving additional information. Materials & Methods Two estuaries, Laxford Bay and the Polla estuary, were sampled monthly where possible from March to September, at low tide. Sampling was performed using a 50 m sweep net with a stretched mesh size of 15 mm hand pulled in a large circle to give one sweep of the area. Differences between the number examined and tagged (Table 1) reflect the presence of recaptures, the small size of trout involved or difficulties in loading the injector. Where trout <15 cm are involved, injection of the tags can prove difficult with only a thin membrane available to hold the tag and is therefore not undertaken. In addition, the Kyle of Durness and Kinloch River were sampled twice between May and July as part of the RAFTS Managing Interactions Project (www.rafts.org.uk). These fish were not tagged. All sea trout were removed and anaesthetised with 2-Phenoxyethanol. The length (± 1 mm) and weight (± 1 g) were recorded, scales removed and a visible impact (VI) tag implanted behind the eye. The fish were examined for the presence of sea lice, which were counted and roughly staged, i.e. Chalimus, mobile, adult and gravid female. The condition index for the trout was calculated from the length and weight such that: Condition Index = 100W/L 3, where weight is in grams and length in cm. Throughout this document, post-smolts are defined as fish that went to sea in this year. Adults refer to fish that have had one year or more at sea. The Specific Growth Rate (SGR) was calculated for the recaptured fish to give annual variations, such that: SGR = (((ln(final wt) ln(initial wt))*100)/time), where weight is in grams and time in days. Results and Discussion The largest catch within a single sweep was 177 fish in the Polla estuary during May (Table 1). A comparison of the catches with time in all estuaries demonstrates the variability in the abundance of fish within the sample sites and the difficulties in using these results to demonstrate population size. The by-catch from the netting in both estuaries was as expected from previous years, with few species and low numbers observed. The exception to this was the August netting in the Polla, where mature sea bass and mackerel were captured. 1

Table 1 The number of fish examined and tagged, by estuary and month Laxford Bay Polla estuary Month No. examined No. tagged No. examined No. tagged March 7 7 - - April - - - - May 40 35 * 94 62 June - - 32 4 July 17 14 42 18 August 29 17 34 17 September - - - - ( * plus 83 released) Age, Length, Weight and Condition of Fish Captured The fish caught were of varied age (Fig. 1) and length (Fig. 2), reflecting a mixed population structure. The age structure in the three estuaries was similar, with the Polla returning the oldest adult (Fig. 1). From Fig. 1 the predominant smolt age in all rivers is 2 years (S2), although there were a number of S3 s also present. S1 s were also observed in small numbers in all of the estuaries. The length distribution of fish in each estuary was similar (Fig. 2), although the Polla had a greater range of sizes. A proportion of the fish examined were from previous smolt runs (Fig. 1; Table 2). There does not appear to be a pattern in the proportion of post-smolts within the samples, but they dominated the catches in all estuaries. While a May smolt run is normal for the Sutherland area (WSFT 2012), there were a large proportion of smolts taken in the March samples from the Laxford indicating that some smolts may have run earlier. However, the presence of very small fish in the August sample at the Polla, suggesting an autumn smolt run, may suggest that these fish had moved down the previous autumn and remained in the estuary. This has been seen in other areas (Pinder et al 2007). Table 2 The percentage of smolts within the catch Month Laxford Polla estuary Bay March 67 - April - - May 88 84 June - 89 July 50 74 August 75 81 September - - The presence of post-smolts at both sites throughout the year indicates a heavy usage of estuaries by this group, presumably for feeding and shelter. That the sea trout populations are relatively static can be inferred from the information on recaptures, where all of the tagged fish recaptured during 2012 were taken in the same location as originally tagged. This confirms findings from previous years (WSFT 2012). The mean length, weight and condition index, ± s.d., of post smolts per month are given in Table 3a for Laxford Bay and Table 3b for the Polla estuary. Condition index appears to increase slightly with time until July in the Laxford, but decreases between June and August in the Polla. However, the condition index in the Laxford still remains lower than that in the Polla throughout the year, with the exception of July. Length appears to vary with time, decreasing over the sampling period before increasing towards the end in the Laxford. This reflects the movement of post-smolts within the estuaries for feeding and shelter, and the movement of sea trout between marine feeding areas and the river. It also mirrors the findings in 2011. However, no pattern in length could be seen in the Polla samples. 2

140 120 Laxford Polla Kyle of Durness 100 No. fish 80 60 40 20 0 1 2 2-1 2-2 2-3 2-4 2-5 2-6 2-7 3 3-1 3-2 3-3 4 Age Fig. 1 The number of fish of each age taken in the estuaries 30 25 20 No. fish 15 10 5 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Length (to lower cm) Fig. 2 The number of fish of each length taken in the estuaries 3

Table 3a The mean length, weight, and condition index of the post-smolts captured in Laxford Bay, per month Month Mean length (± s.d.) (mm) Mean weight (± s.d.) (g) Mean Condition Index (± s.d.) March 212.50 ± 33.83 89.75 ± 43.35 0.88 ± 0.12 April - - - May 193.74 ± 35.69 77.69 ± 50.10 0.97 ± 0.16 June - - - July 164 ± 33.10 57.12 ± 35.82 1.17 ± 0.11 August 176.19 ± 44.91 70.86 ± 58.81 1.11 ± 0.16 September - - - Table 3b The mean length, weight, and condition index of the post-smolts captured in the Polla estuary, per month Month Mean length (± s.d.) (mm) Mean weight (± s.d.) (g) Mean Condition Index (± s.d.) March - - - April - - - May 163.38 ± 32.32 50.26 ± 33.96 1.05 ± 0.10 June 117.56 ± 19.46 24.96 ± 20.23 1.39 ± 0.63 July 138.50 ± 29.11 35.25 ± 27.41 1.15 ± 0.08 August 145.81 ± 16.43 36.77 ± 12.30 1.14 ± 0.07 September - - - Recaptures There were 7 recaptures during 2012, all within the estuary netting. The growth of recaptured trout is shown in Table 4a for the Polla estuary and Table 4b for Laxford Bay. Of the recaptured trout, 3 were originally tagged in 2011, 1 (J77) in 2005, the rest in 2012. This gives yet more information on sustained growth rates and demonstrates the potential effectiveness of the tagging programme. In particular, J77 gives significant information on the spawning patterns and survival of trout. All of the recaptured fish were taken in the same system as they were tagged demonstrating that most sea trout remain within a small area. Only one recapture was taken in the Laxford, with an average growth, per month, of 2.69 mm, and 7.46 g, which is a lower length increase but greater weight increase than that found in 2011. Within the Polla average growth rates were 19.37 mm and 44.78 g, which show a significant increase in both length and weight growth compared to 2011. Table 4a The lengths and weights of recaptured trout within the Polla estuary Tag number Tagged Recaptured Difference Date 27.6.11 21.5.12 11 mths B37 Length (mm) 208 376 168 Weight (g) 97 515 418 Date 18.8.11 21.5.12 9 mths E15 Length (mm) 257 337 80 Weight (g) 186 389 203 Date 24.5.05 5.6.12 7 yrs 1 mth J77 Length (mm) 220 ~600 Weight (g) 114 ~5lb Date 5.6.12 3.7.12 1 mth F29 Length (mm) 343 351 8 Weight (g) 448 500 52 Date 21.5.12 3.7.12 1.5 mths E87 Length (mm) 190 247 57 Weight (g) 72 176 104 Date 3.7.12 16.8.12 1.5 mths F47 Length (mm) 202 242 40 Weight (g) 94 157 63 4

*J77 was also captured in July but not measured Table 4b The lengths and weights of recaptured trout within Laxford Bay Tag number Tagged Recaptured Difference Date 30.6.11 4.7.12 13 mths B53 Length (mm) 232 267 35 Weight (g) 141 238 97 Figure 3 shows that the specific growth rates (SGR) in the Laxford remain low compared to previous years, although based on one fish only. This continues to remain of concern, although a slight improvement on 2011 was observed, with by catch data indicating the presence of prey species. The Polla in contrast has recorded the highest SGR for that estuary during the course of this study. The results demonstrate the complexity of trout population dynamics and the interactions with external factors, such as food supply and temperature. Average SGR 1.00 0.90 0.80 0.70 0.60 0.50 0.40 0.30 0.20 0.10 0.00 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Year Laxford Polla Fig. 3 Showing the average SGR for fish within the Laxford and Polla estuaries, by year Sea Lice Infestations Sea lice were present to a varying degree throughout the year in both estuaries (Table 5), with lice found during all sampling occasions except the Laxford in March. While a mixture of lice stages were noted throughout the sampling period in both estuaries, no Chalimus were found in the Polla during 2012 (Fig. 4). Lice numbers were variable within the sampling, with the highest numbers found during July in both estuaries. Total lice number per sample is, however, dependent on sample size and the use of abundance and intensity data give a better assessment of the situation. Table 5 The percentage of sea trout with the salmon louse, by estuary and month Month Laxford Bay Polla estuary March 0 - April - - May 8 7 June - 9 July 71 45 August 24 9 September - - In order to determine the potential impacts of sea lice on fish it is important to know the number of lice present per fish as well as their occurrence (Tables 6 (Laxford) & 7 (Polla)). The use of intensity will give a more accurate impression of the degree of infestation, being the number of lice on the infected fish, but abundance gives a better impression of the lice within the population. In addition, abundance is used in several studies, including Butler (2002), and is the preferred method of recording within the neighbouring farms and is therefore given here. The use of the median value, being the middle value if 5

they are ranked numerically, also gives an indication of the degree of infestation within the population, while removing the bias created from a single heavily infected individual. Laxford Lice abundance within the Laxford samples remained variable throughout the year, with lice numbers increasing to July, before declining (Table 6). Only the August samples would have met the Scottish Salmon Producers Association (SSPO) code of good practice levels, indicating a higher than desired abundance in the other months. However it must be stated that this value was produced for a high density of farmed fish rather than wild populations. A maturation of the lice population was observed over the period of the sampling, moving from primarily chalimus to a mix of adult and gravid females (Fig. 4a). This is in contrast to the pattern observed in 2011 and is a more normal pattern of lice within a relatively unique fish population. The neighbouring cages were fallow from February, with only broodstock held from the end of December. In the period prior to fallow high numbers of lice were recorded. However it is unlikely that this will have had a major effect on the wild fish populations given the time scales involved. Table 6 The abundance, intensity and median value of the salmon louse on wild sea trout in Laxford Bay, where abundance is the mean number of lice per fish and intensity is the mean number of lice per infected fish. Abundance Intensity Month mean range mean range Median March 0 0 0 0 0 April - - - - - May 1.35 0-25 18 12-25 0 June - - - - - July 6.35 0-30 9 1-30 2 August 0.48 0 7 2 1-7 0 September - - - - - Polla The abundance of lice shown in Table 7 is similar throughout the year, with the exception of July when abundance increases significantly. At no point in the year were chalimus observed in the samples, although all other stages were present in each month (Fig. 4b). This is an unusual situation, where juveniles would be expected within a normally performing population. It is possible that this reflects pulses of lice production, where the chalimus stages are missed via the timing of the sampling, but this is unlikely to be the case. The neighbouring cages were stocked in November 2011. Lice abundance within the sites since stocking has been low, with an average of less than 0.07 Lepeophtheirus per fish. Caligus densities have been higher, peaking at 2 per fish at the end of July. Unlike Lepeophtheirus, Caligus are found on a range of species and densities will vary with the occurrence of marine species such as cod, mackerel and whiting amongst others. Table 7 The abundance, intensity and median value of the salmon louse on wild sea trout in Polla estuary, where abundance is the mean number of lice per fish and intensity is the mean number of lice per infected fish. Abundance Intensity Month mean range mean range Median March - - - - - April - - - - - May 0.20 0-10 2.71 1-10 0 June 0.19 0-3 2 1-3 0 July 1.95 0-19 4.32 1-19 0 August 0.15 0-3 1.67 1-3 0 September - - - - - Recommendations for further research 1. It is recommended that the current programme be continued in order to maintain the existing dataset. 6

2. It is recommended that the current programme be expanded to examine other features of sea trout biology in marine areas. 3. It is recommended that further research into the dynamics of the sea trout population in both marine and freshwaters be undertaken. This should also examine the relationship between the resident and migratory components of the population. 4. It is recommended that additional research on the sea lice population be undertaken. References Butler, J.R.A. (2002). Salmonids and sea louse infestations on the west coast of Scotland: sources of infection and implications for the management of marine salmon farms. Pest Mgmt. Sci. 58: 595 608. Marshall, S. (2003). Incidence of sea lice infestations on wild sea trout compared to farmed salmon. Bull. Eur. Ass. Fish Pathol. 23(2): 72 79. Pinder, A.C., Riley, W.D., Ibbotson, A.T. & Beaumont, W.R.C. (2007). Evidence for an autumn downstream migration and the subsequent estuarine residence of 0+ year juvenile Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L., in England. Journal of Fish Biology71,260 264 WSFT (2012). Monitoring of sea trout post-smolts, 2011. Unpubl. Report to the West Sutherland Fisheries Trust, Report No. WSFT2/12. Acknowledgements Thanks must be given to the many people who assisted with the sampling over the past year and without whom the project could not have been completed, particularly Ross Barnes, Dave Debour, Mark Debour, Andrew Marsham and Rex Onions. Thanks also to Reay Forest and Rispond Estates for permitting the work to be undertaken and assisting with sampling. This project has received partial funding from the North & West DSFB and the Scottish Government via RAFTS. DISCLAIMER NOTICE Whilst this report has been prepared by the WSFT biologist on the basis of information that she believes is accurate, any party seeking to implement or otherwise act upon any part or parts of this report are recommended to obtain specialist advice. The WSFT and its biologist do not accept responsibility under any circumstances for the actions or omissions of other parties occasioned by their reading of this report. 7

100 80 60 0-54 - 108 14 - Chalimus Mobile Adult Gravid females % lice 40 20 0 March April May June July August September Month Fig. 4a Showing the proportion of each stage of lice within the Laxford samples, by month. The total number of lice is given at the top. 100 - - 19 6 82 5-80 60 % lice 40 20 0 March April May June July August September Month Fig. 4b Showing the proportion of each stage of lice within the Polla samples, by month. The total number of lice is given at the top. 8