The effects of temperature on swimming performance of juvenile shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum)

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Deslauriers ◽  
J. D. Kieffer
2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Deslauriers ◽  
J.D. Kieffer

Swimming performance and behaviour in fish has been shown to vary depending on the investigation method. In this study, an endurance swimming curve was generated for young-of-the-year shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum LeSueur, 1818) (~7 cm total length, ~2 g) and compared with values determined in a separate incremental swimming (critical swimming, Ucrit) test. Using video, tail-beat frequency (TBF) was quantified and compared for fish swimming under both swimming tests. From the endurance-curve analysis, it was found that sturgeon did not display a statistically significant burst swimming phase. Maximum sustainable swimming speed (calculated to be 18.00 cm·s–1) from the endurance curve occurred at ~80% of Ucrit (22.30 cm·s–1). TBF was similar at all speeds for both swimming tests, except at speeds approaching Ucrit, where fish displayed TBFs of 4.29 Hz for the endurance protocol and 2.26 Hz for the Ucrit protocol. TBF was more variable between individuals swimming at the same speed within the Ucrit compared with the endurance protocol. Finally, a significant negative correlation was found between TBF and Ucrit in individual fish, suggesting that station-holding may be an important energy saving strategy during swimming in this size class of sturgeon.


2014 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 545-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana M. Gradil ◽  
Glenda M. Wright ◽  
David J. Speare ◽  
Dorota W. Wadowska ◽  
Sara Purcell ◽  
...  

2002 ◽  
Vol 18 (4-6) ◽  
pp. 491-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Collins ◽  
D. W. Cooke ◽  
T. I. J. Smith ◽  
W. C. Post ◽  
D. C. Russ ◽  
...  

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 1248-1257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinhai Li ◽  
Matthew K Litvak ◽  
John E. Hughes Clarke

The overwintering habitat use of shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) was investigated from January to March 2005 in the upper Kennebecasis River, New Brunswick, Canada, using a novel underwater video camera system and modeling approach. Following a random sampling procedure, 187 holes were drilled into the ice, and 234 sturgeon were counted and video-recorded. We found that sturgeon concentrated in a 2 ha area at the confluence of the Kennebecasis and Hammond rivers on a flat sandy substrate at a depth of 3.1–6.9 m. Generalized linear models were developed to describe the relationship of shortnose sturgeon density and habitat variables. The model indicated that the shortnose sturgeon had significant preference to deeper areas within this region. The total abundance of shortnose sturgeon in the area was estimated to be 4836 ± 69 (mean ± standard error) using the ordinary kriging method to interpolate sturgeon density at unsampled sites. This overwintering habitat of shortnose sturgeon can be defined as critical habitat following the identification policies of the Canadian Species at Risk Act (SARA).


<em>Abstract.</em>—The shortnose sturgeon, <em>Acipenser brevirostrum</em>, is a long-lived species that grows slowly, matures at an advanced age, and spawns only intermittently. In the Connecticut River, there are two distinct subpopulations of shortnose sturgeon, which have been separated by the Holyoke Dam for 157 years. My research addressed the viability and persistence for these two separate populations and the effects of dispersal, variation in survival and reproduction, and catastrophes. My risk-based approach used a stage-based metapopulation model that I constructed in RAMAS<sup>®</sup> GIS incorporating the available data. Based on the existing data, this population model for the shortnose sturgeon metapopulation in the Connecticut River made several predictions. The observed stability of the two subpopulations was possible either: with reproduction in both upper and lower subpopulations and small to moderate rates of dispersal between them; or with no reproduction in the lower subpopulation, very high reproduction in the upper subpopulation and high rate of net downstream dispersal. My results provided estimates of extinction risk for the shortnose sturgeon metapopulation under various management options and highlighted three key areas for future research, demonstrating the value of a risk-based approach. This approach is particularly useful for management of long-lived aquatic species.


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