Migration tactics affect spawning frequency in an iteroparous salmonid (Salvelinus malma) from the Arctic

Otolith strontium and multi-year mark-recapture information were used to characterize associations between migration patterns and spawning frequencies in an anadromous Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) population (Rat River, Northwest Territories, Canada) that undertakes a long migration between freshwater spawning/overwintering (Fish Creek; a tributary to Rat River) and marine feeding habitats (Beaufort Sea) (~800 km round trip). Reconstructions of lifetime annual migration histories among otolith annuli was matched to information on reproductive status (current-year ‘spawner’ or ‘non-spawner’) that was known in two different, sometimes successive, years for each fish. Two migratory life histories were observed: fish either migrated annually after smoltification or periodically skipped an annual ocean migration to remain in freshwater and spawn. Different spawning frequencies were detected where fish not migrating annually tended to spawn in alternate years (84.6%) more often than those migrating annually (50%). Additionally, annually migrating fish had lower longevity (≤9 years vs. ≤13 years). The evaluation of differences in spawning frequency between sexes, independent of migration tactic, revealed males (84.6%) skipped spawning more often than females (51.2%) suggesting fitness trade-offs between life histories differ between sexes. Further, some fish returned from the sea considerably earlier than the majority of other current-year migrants. Our findings demonstrate intrapopulation diversity in migration behaviour and reproductive frequency.