Char ecology. Natal homing in sympatric populations of anadromous Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus (L.): roles of pheromone recognition.

This study revealed that progeny of sympatric Salangen Arctic char, omitted from any kind of imprinting to home water, returned with high precision to the home river and parental locality upon releases in their native marine environments. Fish did not select river randomly, and the homing precision was the same for progeny whether fertilized in home stream or in foreign water. The progeny studied originate from the lake Øvervatnet and the Salangen River population and were hatched and reared at a hatchery at Voss in southern Norway. Experimental material comprised freshwater resident and smolt released from parr directly. The freshwater resident is partly anadromous exhibiting about 74% smolt when released directly into the sea. Char at all stages (resident, transformed resident, and smolt released from parr directly) returned in significant numbers to the home river system and the site of the specific parental population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]