Lateral and Longitudinal Displacement of Stream-Rearing Juvenile Bull Trout in Response to Upstream Migration of Spawning Adults

Abstract Ontogenetic shifts in fish habitat use often occur to reduce the risk of predation or cannibalism. We examined the large- and small-scale spatial behavior of juvenile Bull Trout Salvelinus confluentus during the spawning migration of adfluvial adult Bull Trout into a tributary (Smith-Dorrien Creek, Alberta) where juveniles rear. We evaluated whether juvenile spatial behavior suggested a direct response to adults that may be interpreted as an attempt to reduce predation risk. Our results showed that the juvenile response to the influx of adults was size dependent, with larger juveniles migrating downstream into Lower Kananaskis Lake and smaller juveniles moving into shallower reaches and margins of the creek. From 1992 to 2002, the downstream migration of juveniles occurred after the upstream migration of spawning adults. Juveniles migrating downstream into the lake were predominantly age 3, with some age-2 individuals. The lateral movement of juvenile Bull Trout in the creek in response to the pr...