Author ORCID Identifier
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-5-2017
Publication Title
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
Volume
75
Issue
3
First Page
429
Keywords
acoustic communication, vocalization, Salmonid, REPRODUCTION < General, charr
Last Page
438
Abstract
Two sounds associated with spawning lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in lakes Huron and Champlain were characterized by comparing sound recordings with behavioral data collected using acoustic telemetry and video. These sounds were named “growls” and “snaps” and were heard on lake trout spawning reefs, but not on a nonspawning reef, and were more common at night than during the day. Growls also occurred more often during the spawning period than the prespawning period, while the trend for snaps was reversed. In a laboratory flume, sounds occurred when male lake trout were displaying spawning behaviors: growls when males were quivering and parallel swimming and snaps when males moved their jaw. Combining our results with the observation of possible sound production by spawning splake (Salvelinus fontinalis × Salvelinus namaycush hybrid) provides rare evidence for spawning-related sound production by a salmonid or any other fish in the superorder Protacanthopterygii. Further characterization of these sounds could be useful for lake trout assessment, restoration, and control.
DOI
10.1139/cjfas-2016-0511
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Nicholas S.; Higgs, Dennis M.; Binder, Thomas R.; Marsden, Ellen J.; Buchinger, Tyler J.; Farha, Steven; and Krueger, Charles C., "Evidence of sound production by spawning lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in lakes Huron and Champlain" (2017). Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 75, 3, 429-438.
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/biologypub/1232