Tracking kites to explore the spawning sites and abundance of pink salmons

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K14961
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Aquatic bioproduction science
• Research Institution: Kitami Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Matsumoto Kei 北見工業大学, 工学部, 研究員 (90507170)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 早川 博 北見工業大学, 工学部, 教授 (20142797)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: トビ / カラフトマス自然産卵 / 鳥類追跡装置 / カラフトマス産卵河川

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Conservation and exploring methodology for spawning rivers of pink salmon are needed because declines in fishery catch has been continued in recent years. In this study, we used the GPS tracking system on black-eared kites, which commonly feed on salmon carcasses after spawning in eastern part of Hokkaido, to determine salmon spawning rivers based on their feeding locations. Our results showed a highly concentration of habitat use in the proximity of rivers and influences of salmon spawning. The kites spent their much time at salmon spawning sites. Therefore, time spent information in the salmon spawning rivers taken from black-eared kites using GPS tracking devices can be a new technique to monitor the salmon abundance in the rivers in eastern part of Hokkaido.

Free Research Field

寒冷地生態工学、鳥類生態学