CONCLUSIONS
Spawning migration by the endangered Sakhalin taimen was characterized
by coordinated movements within season and repeatable timings of arrival
and departure from the spawning ground across seasons. Such behavioral
consistency was more pronounced in females than males and was best
explained by variations in water temperature and river flow that the
females experienced in the estuarine habitat about a week before
arriving at the spawning ground. Combined with our previous findings, we
demonstrated that Sakhalin taimen possess strong fidelity to both time
and location of reproductive activities that enable the species,
especially females, to maintain migratory connectivity within and
between spawning seasons.