Data from: Contemporary distribution of non-native coho salmon in South America
Data files
Sep 09, 2026 version files 68.76 KB
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César_Bugueño.Data_base.CIN250047.coho_salmon.csv
64.48 KB
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README.md
4.28 KB
Abstract
Multiple attempts to introduce coho salmon in South America were carried out during the early twentieth century, with results that were initially largely unsuccessful. However, the species is now widely distributed along the Pacific Ocean coast of southern South America, where artificial propagation and aquaculture escapes have facilitated the emergence of naturalized populations, including occurrences in the southernmost regions of the continent. Here we present (i) a synthesis of the coho salmon distribution in South America based on records collected between 1981 and 2024 from aquatic researchers from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay, and (ii) a map of ocean thermal suitability of non-native coho salmon in the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean of South America, based on thermal preferences in their native range, to understand oceanic invasion pathways. Our results showed a 25.5% expansion in the distribution range of spawners and juveniles over the last decade, extending from 38°47'S (Imperial River, Chile) to 54°58'S (Moat River, Argentina), encompassing 19 basins draining into the S Pacific Ocean and S Atlantic Ocean. When considering records of non-reproductive adults and marine occurrences, the contemporary distribution of coho salmon extends from 27°8'S (Bombinhas, Brazil) to 54°58'S (Moat River, Argentina), covering 22 basins. Coho salmon showed lower colonization success than related Pacific salmon species such as Chinook salmon or rainbow trout, yet it maintains a continuous distribution in the S Pacific Ocean and spatially isolated occurrences in the S Atlantic Ocean. The Santa Cruz River in Argentina may represent the northern limit of a continuous S Atlantic Ocean distribution of coho salmon, whereas the more northerly records may correspond to vagrant individuals or long-distance dispersal events potentially facilitated by suitable thermal habitats along the Falklands/Malvinas Current. Taken together, our findings provide evidence of an ongoing process of invasion and naturalization of coho salmon in South America. The use of different marking approaches may help distinguish between escaped and naturalized individuals, aiding in the evaluation of expansion patterns. The information generated here is essential to support management strategies for a species that provides socioeconomic value while also exerting significant ecological impacts.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.jq2bvq8sc
Description of the data and file structure
Records of non-native coho salmon in South America were obtained from publications in peer-reviewed journals and from unpublished information generated through monitoring and research efforts conducted in Chile (Millennium Nucleus of Southern Invasive Salmonids, INVASAL), Argentina (National Scientific and Technical Research Council, CONICET), and Uruguay (National Direction of Aquatic Resources, DINARA; Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries of Uruguay, MGAP) between 1991 and 2024. Peer-reviewed records were retrieved from Google Scholar and Web of Science (last search conducted in November 2024). For the literature review, we used the keywords “Oncorhynchus kisutch”, “coho salmon”, “silver salmon”, “invader”, “non-native”, “South America” and “Patagonia”. Monitoring and research efforts included field sampling in freshwater and estuarine environments (e.g., returns to fish farming, angling, environmental DNA, electrofishing, seine nets, gillnets, fly fishing, and casting nets) as well as in marine environments (using some of the same methods, plus gill nets and beach seines).
Coho salmon records were split into four categories. Occurrences were classified as juveniles (i.e., parr or smolts sampled in fresh water), spawners (i.e., mature adults sampled from breeding grounds in fresh water), marine (i.e., immature adults at sea) or freshwater (i.e., immature adults in freshwater) using the metadata associated with sampling or inferred using total length (TL), fork length (FL), or mass (M). Basins were categorized according to their earliest recorded occurrence, divided into three groups: records before 2004, records between 2004 and 2014, and records after 2014 (Arismendi et al., 2014; Bravo et al., 2023; Sepúlveda et al., 2013). Notice that these records only inform about presence of coho salmon during specific periods of collection, and their persistence has been unconfirmed.
Files and variables
File: César_Bugueño.Data_base.CIN250047.coho_salmon.csv
Description: The data were constructed using LibreOffice following Darwin Core recommendations. Each column is identified and described. There are no duplicate data. Some cells are empty.
Variables
- scientificName: The full scientific name, with authorship and date information.
- scientificNameID: An identifier for the nomenclatural (not taxonomic) details of a scientific name.
- year: Single year or start of year range.
- year2: Last year of record.
- month: Month during which the record was created.
- decimalLatitude: A geographic latitude (in decimal degrees).
- decimalLongitude: A geographic longitude (in decimal degrees).
- waterBody: Ocean of origin, Pacific or Atlantic.
- country: The name of the country or major administrative unit.
- basinName: Name of the river basin according to the corresponding country's database
- basinID: River basin code according to the corresponding country's database.
- location: A spatial region or named place.
- habitat: Specific habitat type where the record was created.
- habitat_2: Simplified habitat type where the record was created, categorized as Marine or Freshwater.
- lifeStage: Specific developmental stage at the time of the record.
- lifeStage_2: Simplified developmental stage at the time of the record, categorized as Adult or noAdult.
- origin: Origin of the sample, if known with certainty. Categorized as naturalized or aquaculture-derived.
- fishing_gear: Technique, method, or equipment used to capture or record the occurrence.
- reference: Short citation or reference where the record data was obtained.
- doi: Specific DOI from which the record was extracted.
- author: Name of the record author, group of associated authors, or institution responsible for the record.
Code/software
The data can be viewed as tables using LibreOffice or any software capable of reading .csv files. They can also be visualized on a map using QGIS.
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
- GBIF