<span class="paragraphSection">Abstract
The habitat use of adult Atlantic salmon was evaluated in a fjord complex in western Norway. A representative sample of 9 wild and 29 hatchery origin Atlantic salmon were tagged with acoustic tags and tracked with 28 stationary receivers from June 2012 to river entry. Using a movement-based kernel density estimation, we identified near shore habitat use in relation to a National Salmon Fjord (NSF) and adjoining aquaculture sites. Furthermore, we compared progression rates and vertical distributions among habitat units. Mean residence time for salmon with acoustic tags from marking to river entry was 30â??days (range 3â??83â??days). Moreover, recaptures of individuals with T-bar anchor tags supported the long residency of Atlantic salmon within the fjord (0â??63â??days). The main habitat use occurred outside the NSF (68%), with 62% of the individuals overlapping with one or more aquaculture sites. Median progression rates ranged from 15â??kmâ??dâ??1 up to 42â??kmâ??dâ??1 among the different sections of the fjord with a mean vertical distribution
The habitat use of adult Atlantic salmon was evaluated in a fjord complex in western Norway. A representative sample of 9 wild and 29 hatchery origin Atlantic salmon were tagged with acoustic tags and tracked with 28 stationary receivers from June 2012 to river entry. Using a movement-based kernel density estimation, we identified near shore habitat use in relation to a National Salmon Fjord (NSF) and adjoining aquaculture sites. Furthermore, we compared progression rates and vertical distributions among habitat units. Mean residence time for salmon with acoustic tags from marking to river entry was 30â??days (range 3â??83â??days). Moreover, recaptures of individuals with T-bar anchor tags supported the long residency of Atlantic salmon within the fjord (0â??63â??days). The main habitat use occurred outside the NSF (68%), with 62% of the individuals overlapping with one or more aquaculture sites. Median progression rates ranged from 15â??kmâ??dâ??1 up to 42â??kmâ??dâ??1 among the different sections of the fjord with a mean vertical distribution
