Variation in lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) abundance and growth among river reaches in a large regulated river

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 645-657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim J Haxton ◽  
C Scott Findlay
Keyword(s):  
Power Management ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Lake Sturgeon ◽  
Regulated River ◽  
Acipenser Fulvescens ◽  
Ottawa River ◽  
Water Power ◽  
Management Regime ◽  
Commercial Harvest ◽  
Historical Levels

Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) stocks are well below historical levels across their natural range. In this study, we examine why lake sturgeon have not substantially recovered to historical levels in a large regulated river (Ottawa River, Canada). Three primary anthropogenic stressors have been identified as potentially limiting lake sturgeon populations in the Ottawa River: (i) commercial harvest, (ii) contaminants, and (iii) water power management. Hypotheses i and iii were tested by comparing lake sturgeon abundance and examining growth among reaches differing in level of commercial harvest and water management regime; hypothesis ii was tested by assessing contaminant loads in lake sturgeon and examining effects on growth and condition. Relative abundance, growth, mortality, and mean size of lake sturgeon did not differ among river reaches with (n = 6) and without (n = 3) a commercial harvest. Mercury was the only contaminant that was elevated. Neither growth nor condition showed any detectable relationship with mercury body burden. Relative abundance of lake sturgeon was greater in unimpounded than impounded reaches; additionally, there is evidence of faster growth in the impounded versus unimpounded reaches, suggesting density-dependent compensation. Water power management appears to be the primary factor affecting lake sturgeon in this river.

scholarly journals Movement of Lake Sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens, in a Natural Reach of the Ottawa River

2003 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Haxton
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Water Depth ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Lake Sturgeon ◽  
Maximum Distance ◽  
Acipenser Fulvescens ◽  
High Fidelity ◽  
Ottawa River ◽  
River Reach

A radio-telemetry project was conducted on four Lake Sturgeon in a natural reach of the Ottawa River, Canada. The objective was to ascertain the extent of their movement within a natural river reach. Lake Sturgeon displayed high fidelity to a basin and did not move extensive distances. Maximum distance traveled between tracking locations was 10 km and mean home range was 1528 ha. Mean distance moved did not significantly differ between seasons. Mean water depth in which Lake Sturgeon were located was 3.5 m. Lake Sturgeon were not located within 52 km of the upstream dam.

La périodicité de la croissance chez la femelle de l'esturgeon jaune (Acipenser fulvescens) du fleuve Saint-Laurent est-elle reliée à la périodicité de la reproduction?

1992 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 1336-1342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvie Guénette ◽  
Daniel Goyette ◽  
Réjean Fortin ◽  
Jean Leclerc ◽  
Nelson Fournier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sections ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
The State ◽  
Lake Sturgeon ◽  
Acipenser Fulvescens ◽  
Ottawa River ◽  
First Ray ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Narrow Annuli ◽  
St Lawrence River

Measurements of annual increments on cross-sections of the first ray of the pectoral fin of 125 St. Lawrence River female lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) aged 24 yr and older were used to test the correspondance between growth patterns at the margin of the sections and the state of maturity of the fish. For each of the 21 females aged 34 yr and older, and for the upper Ottawa River specimens presented by Roussow (1957. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 14: 553–572), annual increments were treated as a temporal series and analysed with the contingency periodogram. The mean age at first spawning was determined using the age at the end of the first belt of crowded annuli, following Roussow. Only 3 of the 21 females aged 34 yr and older showed a typical succession of belts of large and narrow annuli. The most frequent periods were 5–11 yr, using the periodogram, as compared with 6–9 yr for Roussow' specimens. No significant correspondance was found between the pattern of the last five annual increments and the state of maturity. The mean age at first spawning, estimated at 19 yr by this technique, is lower than the mean age of sexual maturity determined for St. Lawrence River females based on the examination of the gonads (26 yr).

Effects of 3,3′,4,4′-tetrachlorobiphenyl on the dynamics of vitamin A in brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and intestinal retinoid concentrations in lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens)

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 512-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aristocle Ndayibagira ◽  
Marie-Josée Cloutier ◽  
Perry D. Anderson ◽  
Philip A. Spear
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin A ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Retinyl Palmitate ◽  
Lake Sturgeon ◽  
Contaminated Site ◽  
Acipenser Fulvescens ◽  
River Population ◽  
Ottawa River ◽  
St Lawrence River

A single i.p. injection of 5 μg 3,3′,4,4′-tetrachlorobiphenyl (TCBP)/g body mass in adult brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) resulted in decreased (p < 0.0001) growth rate despite pair feeding. Plasma retinol decreased (p < 0.0037). Intestinal retinyl palmitate (RP) and 3,4-dehydroretinyl palmitate (DRP) concentrations decreased in TCBP-injected males (RP, p < 0.0143; DRP, p < 0.0009), whereas retinoid levels did not decrease significantly in TCBP-injected females. The RP:DRP ratio in trout liver increased (p < 0.0001). These results suggested that DRP is more sensitive than RP to the effects of TCBP. No significant differences in ovarian retinoids occurred in post-spawning trout. Field validation of the effects on intestinal retinoids was conducted with lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) caught at a contaminated site on the Des Prairies River near Montréal (St. Lawrence River population) and reference sturgeon taken from a site near the origin of the Ottawa River in LaVerendrye Park. Intestinal retinoid concentrations were lower (RP, p < 0.0008; DRP, p < 0.0004) in the St. Lawrence River sturgeon. Our results demonstrate that a coplanar PCB is capable of altering vitamin A dynamics in several tissues and organs, and may cause a lowering of retinoids in the intestine.

Factors influencing spatial distribution and growth of juvenile lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens)

2015 ◽  
Vol 93 (11) ◽  
pp. 823-831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron C. Barth ◽  
W. Gary Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Condition Factor ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Lake Sturgeon ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Acipenser Fulvescens ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Fourth Section

Understanding biotic and abiotic factors that influence spatial distribution patterns, condition factor, and growth of lotic fish species within river impoundments is essential for the development of effective management and conservation strategies. This study aimed to compare relative abundance, condition factor, and growth rate of juvenile lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens Rafinesque, 1817) among eight sections of a 41 km long impoundment of the Winnipeg River, Manitoba, Canada. Relative abundance of juvenile lake sturgeon, as measured by catch per unit effort (CPUE), was 3–6 times greater in the two farthest upstream sections when compared with the five farthest downstream sections. Growth in length was slowest for individuals captured in the two farthest upstream sections, moderate in the third section, and highest in the fourth section, with individuals from the fourth section attaining lengths approximately double those from the two farthest upstream sections by age 6. Condition factor varied among sections of the impoundment in a pattern similar to that observed for growth. Given similarities in many environmental factors such as water temperature and water chemistry among sections of this study area, our results provide important insight into how abiotic and biotic factors, combined with behavioural characteristics of this species, may influence distribution patterns and growth of juvenile lake sturgeon within river impoundments.

Genetic assessment of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) population structure in the Ottawa River

2010 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristyne M. Wozney ◽  
Tim J. Haxton ◽  
Shawna Kjartanson ◽  
Chris C. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Lake Sturgeon ◽  
Acipenser Fulvescens ◽  
Ottawa River ◽  
Genetic Assessment

Movements and biological statistics of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) populations from the St. Lawrence and Ottawa River system, Quebec

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 638-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Réjean Fortin ◽  
Jean-René Mongeau ◽  
Gilles Desjardins ◽  
Pierre Dumont
Keyword(s):  
Total Mortality ◽  
River System ◽  
Lake Sturgeon ◽  
Acipenser Fulvescens ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Commercial Catch ◽  
Saint Louis ◽  
Ottawa River ◽  
Biological Statistics ◽  
St Lawrence River

Our objective was to compare movements and biological statistics of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) populations from two fluvial lakes on the St. Lawrence River, Lac Saint-Louis and Lac Saint-Pierre, which are main commercial fishing sectors, and from Lac des Deux Montagnes on the Ottawa River. Sturgeon can move freely among these three lakes. Lac des Deux Montagnes sturgeon differ from the other groups by their higher degree of sedentariness, slower growth, and lower condition factor. Lac Saint-Louis and Lac Saint-Pierre sturgeon are also sedentary, but some movement between the two lakes was observed. Sturgeon tagged on the Rivière des Prairies and Rivière L'Assomption spawning grounds, located in the central part of the study area, and also on pre- and post-spawning concentration sites, were recaptured throughout the St. Lawrence River, from Lac Saint-Louis to Lac Saint-Pierre. Length, weight, and age composition of the commercial catch, growth, and total mortality varied between Lac Saint-Louis and Lac Saint-Pierre. Higher commercial exploitation rates in the latter could be responsible for some differences. The management implications of these results are discussed.

scholarly journals Response in Growth, Scute Development, and Whole-Body Ion Composition of Acipenser fulvescens Reared in Water of Differing Chemistries

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1419
Author(s):  
Janet Genz ◽  
Rachael Hicks
Keyword(s):  
River Water ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Lake Sturgeon ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Acipenser Fulvescens ◽  
Water Type ◽  
Ion Composition ◽  
Ion Concentrations ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Yolk Absorption

In fishes, environmental ion availability can have substantial effects on growth and development. This study examined the development of Lake Sturgeon in response to the varying environmental ion availability that they experience as part of a conservation stocking program. We reared sturgeon in natural water from the Coosa River, which had higher concentrations of Mg2+, Na+, and Zn2+ than standard hatchery conditions, while [Ca2+] at the Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery was 2× higher than in the Coosa River. Eggs were hatched in each water type and the larvae were sampled at time points before and after yolk absorption during the first 8 weeks of development. Total length and weight in WSNFH larvae were significantly higher than larvae in Coosa River water starting at 8 dph, indicating that growth was dependent on the different environmental ion levels. Concentrations of the ions of interest were also determined for whole-body acid digests of the exposed Lake Sturgeon. We found that Lake Sturgeon reared in Coosa River water had significantly higher magnesium and zinc than Lake Sturgeon reared in WSNFH water (p < 0.05), while calcium was significantly higher in WSNFH than Coosa River water. This difference shows that different environmental ion concentrations also impact the overall development of larval Lake Sturgeon.

Seasonal Variation in Plasma Nonesterified Fatty Acids of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in the Vicinity of Hydroelectric Facilities

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (11) ◽  
pp. 2440-2447 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. McKinley ◽  
T. D. Singer ◽  
J. S. Ballantyne ◽  
G. Power
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Lake Sturgeon ◽  
Acipenser Fulvescens ◽  
Total Plasma ◽  
Nefa Concentration ◽  
Plasma Nefa ◽  
Nonesterified Fatty Acids ◽  
Plasma Nefa Concentration ◽  
Fatty Acid Species

To establish the effects of hydroelectric generation on the health of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), seasonal variations in plasma nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs) upstream and downstream from hydroelectric stations were measured over a 2-yr period. Plasma NEFA profiles were also compared up- and downstream of the stations for differences in utilization of individual NEFA species as substrates for lipid oxidation. Significantly higher levels of total plasma NEFA were found in lake sturgeon upstream (2355 ± 395.9 nmol/mL) compared with those downstream (798 ± 133.5 nmol/mL) of the generating stations during the spring. The NEFA profiles for several key fatty acid species differed significantly among seasons up- and downstream of the facilities. In particular, during spring and summer, the levels of oleic acid (18:1n9) were highest upstream of the stations and levels of a polyunsaturated fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n3), were higher below rather than above the stations. The differences in plasma NEFA concentration may be attributed to altered nutritional status due to the varying flow regime located downstream of the hydroelectric stations.

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