Data for: Dynamic coastal pelagic habitat drives rapid changes in growth and condition of juvenile sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) during early marine migration

Migrating marine taxa encounter diverse habitats that differ environmentally and in foraging conditions over a range of spatial scales. We examined body (RNA/DNA, length-weight residuals) and nutritional (fatty acid composition) condition of juvenile sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in British Columbia while migrating through oceanographically variable waters. Fish were sampled in the stratified northern Strait of Georgia (NSoG); the highly mixed Johnstone Strait (JS); and the transitional zone of Queen Charlotte Strait (QCS). In 2015, body and nutritional condition were high in the NSoG but rapidly declined to reach the lowest levels in JS where prey availability was low, before showing signs of compensatory growth in QCS. In 2016, juvenile salmon had a significantly lower condition in the NSoG than in 2015, although zooplankton biomass was similar, condition remained low in JS, and no compensatory growth was observed in QCS. We provide evidence that differences in juvenile salmon c...