Salmon origin in California's Sacramento–San Joaquin river system as determined by otolith strontium isotopic composition

Research Article| September 01, 1999 Salmon origin in California's Sacramento–San Joaquin river system as determined by otolith strontium isotopic composition B. Lynn Ingram; B. Lynn Ingram 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Peter K. Weber Peter K. Weber 2Department of Geography, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information B. Lynn Ingram 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA Peter K. Weber 2Department of Geography, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1999) 27 (9): 851–854. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0851:SOICSS>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation B. Lynn Ingram, Peter K. Weber; Salmon origin in California's Sacramento–San Joaquin river system as determined by otolith strontium isotopic composition. Geology 1999;; 27 (9): 851–854. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0851:SOICSS>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Geochemical methods for distinguishing salmon of different runs would improve management practices designed to mitigate for declines in salmon populations in California's Sacramento–San Joaquin river system. Strontium isotopic measurements show a strong relationship between the 87Sr/86Sr ratio in hatchery water and the 87Sr/86Sr ratio in the otoliths (aragonitic ear bones) of juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) raised in those waters. As a result of differences in basin geology from north to south along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, important salmon spawning rivers within the Sacramento–San Joaquin river system have distinct 87Sr/86Sr ratios. Of the 10 rivers in this study, those in the Sacramento River drainage have lower 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7039–0.7063) than those in the San Joaquin River basin (0.7068–0.7092), with the exception of the American River, which has the highest 87Sr/86Sr ratios in this study (average 0.7100). The combination of distinct river 87Sr/86Sr ratios and the relationship between water and otolith Sr isotope ratios indicates that this geochemical method can be used to identify the origin (and potentially the migration history) of juvenile, out-migrating salmon in the Sacramento–San Joaquin system. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.