Retinal development and visual sensitivity of young Pacific sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

The development of photoreceptor cell types and the visual sensitivity of young sockeye salmon were examined. In contrast to previous findings from rainbow trout, rod outer segments were observed in the embryo 1.5 weeks before hatching. At this stage, a full square mosaic with accessory corner cones was visible in the central retina. Post-hatching retinal development is similar to that of other fish species. During the first 11 months of development, the fibrous and interplexiform layers, the outer nuclear layer, the visual cell layer and the retinal pigment epithelium thicken. The ganglion cell layer and the inner nuclear layer regress. In addition, the mean diameter of the cones increases, with that of double cones increasing faster than that of either of the single cone types. As is the case for other salmonids, the density of accessory corner cones diminishes after smoltification (a developmental stage in salmonids). The retina of smolts exhibits a full square mosaic pattern in some peripheral areas and near the central embryonic fissure. However, unlike findings from rainbow trout, compound action potential recordings from the optic nerve of smolt sockeye reveal the presence of four cone mechanisms with sensitivity maxima at 380 (ultraviolet), 425 (short), 520 (middle) and 635 nm (long wavelength). There is also a rod mechanism with maximum sensitivity around 530 nm. Smolts also exhibit polarization sensitivity to 380 nm light under a white crepuscular background.