J.L. Nielsen B.A. Agler G.T. Ruggerone 2009 The hypothesis that growth in Pacific salmon <i>Oncorhynchus spp.</i> is dependent on previous growth was tested using annual scale growth measurements of wild Chinook salmon <i>Oncorhynchus tshawytscha</i> returning to the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers, Alaska, from 1964 to 2004. First-year marine growth in individual <i>O. tshawytscha</i> was significantly correlated with growth in fresh water. Furthermore, growth during each of 3 or 4 years at sea was related to growth during the previous year. The magnitude of the growth response to the previous year's growth was greater when mean year-class growth during the previous year was relatively low. Length (eye to tail fork, LETF) of adult <i>O. tshawytscha</i> was correlated with cumulative scale growth after the first year at sea. Adult LETF was also weakly correlated with scale growth that occurred during freshwater residence 4 to 5 years earlier, indicating the importance of growth in fresh water. Positive growth response to previous growth in <i>O. tshawytscha</i> was probably related to piscivorous diet and foraging benefits of large body size. Faster growth among <i>O. tshawytscha</i> year classes that initially grew slowly may reflect high mortality in slow growing fish and subsequent compensatory growth in survivors. <i>Oncorhynchus tshawytscha</i> in this study exhibited complex growth patterns showing a positive relationship with previous growth and a possible compensatory response to environmental factors affecting growth of the age class. application/pdf en Wiley Linking marine and freshwater growth in western Alaska Chinook salmon <i>Oncorhynchus tshawytscha</i> article