Sacramento Pikeminnow migration record

Abstract

Sacramento Pikeminnow Ptychocheilus grandis is a potamodromous species endemic to mid- and low-elevation streams and rivers of Central and Northern California. Adults are known to undertake substantial migrations, typically associated with spawning, though few data exist on the extent of these migrations. Six Sacramento Pikeminnow implanted with passive integrated transponder tags in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta were detected in Cottonwood and Mill creeks, tributaries to the Sacramento River in Northern California, between April 2018 and late February 2020. Total travel distances ranged from 354 to 432 km, the maximum of which exceeds the previously known record by at least 30 km. These observations add to a limited body of knowledge regarding the natural history of Sacramento Pikeminnow and highlight the importance of the river–estuary continuum as essential for this migratory species.