Metabolic Rates and Critical Swimming Speeds of Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in Relation to Size and Temperature

Ten years research on metabolic rates and swimming speeds of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) ranging in weight from 2 to 2000 g, at temperatures from 2 to 24 C, is reviewed and summarized. Analysis of weight–slope relations (b values) at three temperatures, using log–log transformations, provided an overall mean of 0.88 for standard metabolism and 0.99 for active metabolism. A previously determined semilog equation for temperature effect on standard metabolic rate (at approximately 50 g) was supported by supplementary data at 2 C. Predictive graphic models in the form of isopleths of metabolic rates and critical swimming speeds in relation to weight, length, and temperature are depicted. These provide a composite presentation useful in estimating the metabolic rate and maximum sustained speed for any size and temperature.