Cycles in adult steelhead length suggest interspecific competition in the North Pacific Ocean

Abstract

Anadromous fishes rely on abundant prey in the ocean to grow large quickly, but prey limitation leads to interspecific competition. When species interactions are difficult to observe, growth can be studied to detect otherwise cryptic signals of competition. We describe a previously undocumented 2-year cycle in the lengths of adult natural-origin steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) returning to spawn in the Snake River Basin. Returning steelhead were 38 mm shorter on odd return years, not accounting for sex, stock, and years of ocean residence. The well-known cycle in abundance of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) from eastern Kamchatka and North America had statistically significant negative effects on returning steelhead lengths that depended on sex and the number of years of ocean residence. These results suggest that competition for limited resources occurs well after initial ocean entry and that interactions during later stages of ocean residence can be influential. Interspecific competition has implications for future returns of steelhead from the ocean, especially as metabolic demands for steelhead increase as the ocean warms.