Estimators of stream residence time of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) based on release-recapture data

The area-under-the-curve method is a widely used method for estimating salmon escapement. The method depends on obtaining an accurate estimate of stream residence time, or stream life. This paper develops two estimators of stream residence time based on release-recapture data: a nonparametric estimator and a parametric estimator. Monte Carlo simulations showed that with an adequate release size and number of sampling occasions, both estimators provide precise estimates of stream residence time. If there is significant right censoring, however, the parametric estimator is significantly less biased. If the data are too sparse, the parametric estimator performs poorly and often fails. The stream residence time of spawning sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in Iliamna Lake, Alaska, was estimated using the estimators developed here. Because the estimators also provide the variance of the estimates, the precision of the stream residence time estimate could be assessed, and we were able to test and reject the hypothesis that the stream residence time for females is equal to that of males. Both estimators are applicable to estimating the life expectancy of any fish or wildlife population with release-recapture techniques.