jpexg@mit-hermes.ARPA (John Purbrick) (08/24/86)
Some lakes and rivers in Maine claim to have landlocked salmon in them. Does this mean that salmon can in fact live all their lives in fresh water without making their famous migration to the sea and back? Or is this actually a different species altogether? --John Purbrick
evans@mhuxt.UUCP (crandall) (08/28/86)
In response to the question: I don't know about the landlocked salmon in Maine, but there are standard ocean going salmon which were introduced to a landlocked lake (Flathead Lake in Glacier Park) in Montana in the early part of this century. They spawn in the streams. Bald Eagles soon discovered them and visit each mid to late October for the fishing. Even Canadian birds come. You can expect to see a few hundred. The mystery is how so many eagles learned of it so quickly. The situation may change, however. The last we heard mining had been approved (but may be on hold) which which silt the streams and kill the fry. Sukie Crandall
jackson@utzoo.UUCP (Don Jackson) (09/05/86)
The fact of finding a landlocked species of migratory fish is not extraordi- nary. Many species of fish normally spend the majority of their life in ei- ther fresh or saltwater and are found briefly in the other system. A large number of these can maintain reproducing populations in a landlocked situa- tion. Many species, such as the sea lamprey, shad, alewife, etc. are thriving in the Great Lakes, even though they may not have naturally occurred there and cannot return to the Atlantic Ocean. Similary, a number of species may be found in much smaller inland lakes (i.e. => 5 ha in surface area) throughout North America. Salmonids, such as the Arctic char and Atlantic salmon are found in small lakes in Quebec, the Arctic and Newfoundland. Name: Don Jackson Mail: Dept. Zoology, Univ. Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A1 UUCP: {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!jackson -- Name: Don Jackson Mail: Dept. Zoology, Univ. Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A1 UUCP: {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!jackson