Annually, hatchery programs are releasing millions of salmonid smolts into the Baltic Sea. Recent estimations indicate a decline in smolt sea survival, questioning the ecological and socioeconomic values of these programs. Concurrently, hatchery smolts have increased in lipid concentration. Salmonids display partial migration, and it is suggested that the ratio of migrants/residents is affected by individual smolt energetic status. To test whether the increased energetic status of hatchery smolts could explain the noted decrease in survival, we released wild trout smolts, conventional hatchery smolts, and hatchery smolts of low energetic status into a Baltic Sea river. Using telemetry, we obtained data on the number of successful migrants, their swimming speed, and diel migratory behaviour. A much lower proportion of conventional smolts (30%) successfully migrated to the coast. No difference was found between wild (74%) and hatchery smolts of low energetic status (64%). Furthermore, conventional smolts migrated slower and showed no diel migratory pattern. The results are of high relevance for hatchery programs producing partially migrating fish.

In general, hatchery salmonid smolts experience higher mortality during migration than wild smolts, which is suggested to be due to domestication effects and that hatchery fish lack experience of the natural environment. However, possible differences in feeding during smolt migration between hatchery and wild smolts have rarely been addressed. We compared the number of feeding smolts and stomach fullness among wild Atlantic salmon smolts, hatchery-reared smolts released as 1-year-old parr, and hatchery-reared smolts released as 2-year-old smolts during their descent to sea in River Tornionjoki. In addition, estimations of prey selection among the smolt groups were conducted. A high proportion of wild smolts and smolts stocked as parr actively fed during the smolt migration. A lower proportion of smolts stocked as smolts was feeding and their stomach fullness were much reduced in comparison with the two other groups. The study also indicated that the feeding of migrating smolts is selective rather than opportunistic. In conclusion, this study suggests that stocked 2-year-old smolts may enter sea with an inferior foraging behaviour and it is a possibility that this may contribute to the observed low post-smolt survival in the Baltic Sea.

Downstream migrations of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and sea trout (S. trutta) smolts were monitored in the in northern Sweden to evaluate the river’s potential as a national index river for salmonid populations in the Baltic region, and to acquire information for stock conservation plans. A rotary screw trap was installed and operated from 2005 to 2008. Recapture rates of tagged smolts were high (from 8% to 31%), which allowed smolt abundances to be estimated. Between 2,600 and 3,900 salmon and 500–1,500 trout emigrated from the river each year. Genetic analyses made it possible to identify the origin of salmon and trout smolts and to determine whether they originated from the Sävarån stock or from stocks in neighbouring rivers. In 2005 and 2006, most of the salmon were from the Sävarån stock, which previously had been thought to be extinct. By contrast, 58% and 52% of the salmon analysed in 2007 and 2008, respectively, originated from stocks other than Sävarån. The density of salmon and trout 0+ parr (i.e. recruitment success) based on electro-fishing was a poor predictor of smolt abundance 2 to 3 years later. The smolt trap data combined with genetic analyses provided valuable information to develop stock conservation plans.

P>A combination of radio and acoustic telemetry was used to monitor the out-migration of hatchery-reared Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., in the River Testebo, its estuary and coastal system. As with many other Baltic rivers, the hydropower regulated River Testebo once had a self-sustaining salmon population that is now extinct. Substantial losses of smolts in the river (48-69%) and inner part of the estuary (43-47%) were found, but after leaving the estuary, the success of post-smolts moving out of the Bay was sufficiently high (83-89%) to conclude that habitat within the bay is not a factor limiting initial marine survival. The results suggest that hatchery-based recovery of a wild salmon population in the river will not be successful unless other actions, such as habitat improvement, are included.

Migration success of hatchery-reared and wild sea trout smolts through the lower stretches and the estuary of a Baltic Sea river were studied. During 3 years, wild and hatchery trout smolts were implanted with acoustic transmitters and released 14km upstream from the river mouth. In order to monitor their out-migration pattern, acoustic receivers were deployed along the migratory route. Data on number of fish detected and date and time of detections were analysed and the migratory performance of wild and hatchery-reared fish was compared. A significantly higher proportion of wild fish (80%) successfully migrated to the coast compared to fish of hatchery origin (27.5%) and migration was faster in wild smolts. Hatchery fish were larger and had a higher condition factor and lipid concentrations, which are proposed as possible reasons for the poorer migratory performance of the hatchery-reared fish.

The survival of brown trout Solmo trutta embryos and first-year juveniles was studied using in situ bioassays during the snowmelt-driven spring flood in 12 streams in northern Sweden. Unlike in most previous studies on the impact of acidity on brown trout, the streams in this study were high in dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and as a result organic acids play a primary role in controlling pH. During the spring flood period DOC concentrations increased strongly in most streams and, in combination with dilution of acid-neutralizing capacity, resulted in a decrease in pH and an increase in total and inorganic monomeric aluminum. High mortality of brown trout juveniles occurred during the spring flood and was best correlated to the high H+ concentration. No toxic effect could be directly attributed to measured inorganic aluminum concentrations. An empirical model to predict juvenile brown trout mortality in DOC-rich streams was developed, and based on these predictions a critical chemical threshold of pH 4.8-5.4 is proposed for first-year juveniles. There was high embryo and yolk sac fry survival during the spring flood, even at sites with pH as low as 4.0, suggesting that the pH threshold in DOC-rich waters is lower than the previously established threshold for low-DOC systems. We discuss the complex role that DOC has in humic-rich surface waters, where it both causes a pH decrease and protects against aluminum toxicity in fish. The results suggest that first-year juveniles are likely to be the stage most vulnerable to the effects of episodic pH depression associated with the snowmelt period in northern boreal systems. This results from asynchrony in the seasonality of the spring flood acid pulse and the seasonality of trout embryo development, which is slow in cold northern waters.