Legacy

Salmon are shrinking and it shows in their genes Date: November 14, 2018 Source: University of Helsinki Summary: Male salmon are maturing earlier and becoming smaller, and it shows in their genes. This was the discovery of a study that examined scale samples from salmon over a 40-year period, and looked at the population genetic profile of a gene that determines salmon's age of maturity and size. The results show that the 'big salmon gene version' has become rarer in the population over time, and has been replaced by the 'small salmon gene version'. Share: FULL STORY Male salmon are maturing earlier and becoming smaller, and it shows in their genes. This was the discovery of a study that examined scale samples from salmon in the River Teno in Northern Finland over a 40-year period, and looked at the population genetic profile of a gene that determines salmon's age of maturity and size. The results show that the 'big salmon gene version' has become rarer in the population over time, and has been replaced by the 'small salmon gene version'. The study, conducted by scientists from the University of Helsinki in co-operation with Natural Resources Institute Finland and the University of Turku, was published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution and was featured on the magazine's November issue's cover. Previous work by the consortium has shown that the age at which salmon mature is getting younger, and consequently also the size of salmon that are spawning is getting smaller. They also identified a single gene Vgll3 that has a large influence in determining the age at which salmon reach sexual maturity. They identified two forms or alleles of the gene that appear to signal to the salmon to either mature later at a larger size or mature earlier at a smaller size. The later salmon mature, the bigger they grow. "We knew from our earlier research that the age at maturity had been decreasing over this period. Now we wanted to see if there were signs of this also at the genetic level, that is, whether it was an evolutionary change," professor Craig Primmer from the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Helsinki explains. "Basically, if we see that 'salmon are shrinking', we can't be sure if it is evolution. For that, we need to know there are also changes in their genes. Now we also have that information, and we can say that we can demonstrate 'evolution in action'." The change in genes indicates that the size decrease is not just a 'plastic' or a temporary change brought on by other factors that do not necessarily require changes in gene sequences, such as changes in hormone levels. Instead the change has an evolutionary basis. Being big is not as much of an advantage to salmon as it used to be, and the salmon are adapting to this new reality. "This is another example de-bunking the myth that evolution takes millions of years," said Yann Czorlich, the first author of the study from the Natural Resources Institute Finland and the University of Turku. "On the one hand, this can be considered a good thing seeing it means there is hope for salmon to adapt to their changed conditions. But on the other, it's bad news for anglers want to catch big salmon and join the '20 kilogram club' as there may be fewer big salmon in the future unless we can identify and halt the factors causing their decline." As a part of his PhD studies, Czorlich is preparing to address the reasons for why salmon might benefit from being smaller in a future paper, but one theory is that salmon today are more likely to die during their time at sea either because of fishing or other reasons, and would thus benefit from returning to the rivers to spawn sooner rather than later. The scale samples used for the study came from a long-term scale archive maintained by the Natural Resources Institute Finland. The archive keeps samples from more than 150,000 salmon individuals collected by volunteer fishermen since the 1970's from River Teno, one of the most prolific salmon rivers in Europe. The scales were then used to determine the age structure of the salmon population. They were also the source of DNA for genetic analysis

Im using 36' of 20# fluorocarbon on anything 200' or shorter... over 250' or more Im using 36' of 30# fluoro

So many different ways to answer this... 1. My best rigs year after year are short coppers. 50', 100',150' 2. If the question is what is you best long coppers (250' or more) than last year it would have been a 350' copper. 3. If you are a first time buyer and looking to make a purchase than I would no doubt suggest a 300' and probably a 400'. Sent from my XT1585 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

So many different ways to answer this... 1. My best rigs year after year are short coppers. 50', 100',150' 2. If the question is what is you best long coppers (250' or more) than last year it would have been a 350' copper. 3. If you are a first time buyer and looking to make a purchase than I would no doubt suggest a 300' and probably a 400'. Sent from my XT1585 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

I would suggest a 45 series

Come on, you cant post the picture on here... lol I disagree about the additional keel. For typical use they are not needed as long as your knot configuration is good. He is wimping out and not ever fishing copper! Stock boards pull well right out of the box. The extra keel does help in rough water.

Both Okuma Coldwater and Convectors (30 series) are available in high speed. 6.2 to 1 https://www.fishusa.com/product/Okuma-Coldwater-High-Speed-Wire-Line-Reels?gclid=Cj0KCQjwg73kBRDVARIsAF-kEH-tqe7FDTChoCwEv2WAkcik87ZLDlx3AKCu8EWqOlLhG79Tz0fKlaMaAlUtEALw_wcB

Heres a good read for you!

Otters and 200# braid... Sent from my XT1585 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

I use #1 and #2 Blood Run Tackle "Impaler" trebles for spoon replacement hooks. https://bloodruntackle.com/impaler-treble-hooks/ Sent from my XT1585 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Yes, same transducer. My fishfinders are linked so they can share the same info and setting adjustments.

Call me or text me 703-0969 and we will figure something out

List and prices have been updated. Not much left at this point. Can someone please tell Whaler1 to stop low balling me on the teak cup holder???

30 series... CW303 Sent from my XT1585 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

I tie my own flies and make my own meat rigs. I do the same thing and cut down flies for teasers also. It is just more convenient then carrying a second stash of flies. I also loop the line through beads. Only one time did I ever have an issue. Line broke and it was caused from a sharp edge on the bead. Some guys use bead chains on the tag end and some dont. I do like the idea of tying one in just above your meat head so when you do need to retie then you just need to retie that small section. It sounds like a great idea but I will honestly never do it. It would certainly save me some money on fluorocarbon! But really bead chains certainly are not needed. I don't use them and don't plan to use them. I terminate my rigs with a simple surgeons loop (same as my flies) and it is very rare that I ever experience line twist.