Photoperiodic activity changes in juvenile sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

Spontaneous locomotor activity was studied in juvenile sockeye salmon under controlled environmental conditions (LD 9.5:14.5 or 12:12; 5 °C; 0.1–34.4 lux). Siblings were hatched in activity chambers and swimming movements were monitored with an ultrasonic system for 11 months. The experiments gave evidence of a bimodal activity rhythm in sockeye fry immediately after hatching. The bimodal, dark-active pattern persisted until 9 days after the fish emerged from the gravel. The photobehavioral response was reversed and the fish expressed a unimodal, light-active pattern 10–14 days after first emergence. This light-active response was then maintained for 11 months.The possible interrelationships between age, photobehavioral response, and activity rhythms underlying the sockeye fry migrations to nursery lakes are discussed.