ECOLOGICAL DATA
Distribution: spawn in coastal drainages, but more
abundant in northern areas.
Habitat: remain close to shore near river mouths; spawn in gravelly areas of
freshwater streams and rivers during fall; migrate from nearshore from Jul to mid-Sep as
spawners and immatures; overwinter in lakes and streams; outmigration of adults from
mid-Mar to mid-May, and smolts during May to mid-Jun; feed in nearshore marine water and
estuaries for 3-8 months.
Tidal elevation: smolts and adults feed and migrate in shallow nearshore and
estuaries.
Food: smolts in shallow nearshore prey on crustaceans (e.g. amphipods,
isopods and euphausiids) and small fish; subadults and adults, usually in outer estuary
and deeper water feed primarily on fish (e.g. sand lance, capelin, herring, pink
and chum fry), and some crustaceans.
Predators: fishes, such as salmon and cutthroat, birds and bears.
|
GROWTH RATE
Rapid growth in ocean, up to 45 mm for adults over 157 d and 74
mm for smolts over 107 d; maximum size is about 550 mm and 3 kg.
FISHERY
Sport (i.e. fly and bait) fishery exists, including
unique beach fisheries.
REFERENCES
Armstrong, R.H. 1970. Age, food, and migration of Dolly Varden
smolts in southeastern Alaska. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 27: 991-1004.
Armstrong, R.H. 1974. Migration of anadromous Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma)
in southeastern Alaska. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 31: 435-444.
Armstrong, R.H. 1984. Migration of anadromous Dolly Varden charr in southeastern
Alaska - a manager's nightmare, p. 559-570. In L. Johnson and B.L. Burns [ed.]
Biology of the Arctic charr, Proc. Int. Symp. Arctic Charr, May 1981, Univ. Manitoba,
Winnipeg
Lagler, K.F., and A.T. Wright. 1962. Predation of the Dolly Varden, Salvelinus
malma, on young salmons, Oncorhynchus spp., in an estuary of southeastern
Alaska. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 91: 90-93.
Narver, D.W., and M.L. Dahlberg. 1965. Estuarine food of Dolly Varden at Chignik,
Alaska. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 94: 405-408.
Roos, J.E. 1959. Feeding habitats of the Dolly Varden, Salvelinus malma
(Walbaum), at Chignik, Alaska. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 88: 253-260.
Smith, H.A., and P.A. Slaney. 1980. Age growth, survival and habitat of anadromous
Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) in the Keogh River, British Columbia. B.C. Min.
Environ. Fish. Manage. Rep. 76: 50 p.
|