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

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.

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Comparison of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), Stizostedion spp., Catostomus spp., Moxostoma spp., quillback (Carpiodes cyprinus), and mooneye (Hiodon tergisus) larval drift in Des Prairies River, Quebec

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z01-095 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 79 (8) ◽

pp. 1472-1489 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Julie D'Amours ◽

Stéphanie Thibodeau ◽

Réjean Fortin

Keyword(s):

River System ◽

Lake Sturgeon ◽

Acipenser Fulvescens ◽

Larval Drift ◽

Power House ◽

Spawning Areas ◽

Vertical Variations ◽

Reverse Situation ◽

The Right ◽

St Lawrence River

Several fish species that spawn in lotic habitats have a larval-drift phase which is a major determinant of their reproductive success. The main objective of this study was to compare seasonal, diel, longitudinal, transverse, and vertical variations in rates of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), Stizostedion spp., Catostomus spp., Moxostoma spp., quillback (Carpiodes cyprinus), and mooneye (Hiodon tergisus) larval drift in Des Prairies River (DPR) near Montreal (Quebec), which is one of the major lotic spawning habitats of the St. Lawrence River system. Larval sampling was conducted in the spring of 1994 and 1995 for the six taxa, and on a more restricted basis for lake sturgeon in 19961998, using drift nets set at several transects, stations, depths, and periods of the day, along a 19 km long section of river beginning ca. 2 km downstream from the DPR power house. For all taxa except lake sturgeon, peak larval drift occurred ca. 1 week earlier in 1995 than in 1994. The sequence was very similar between years, beginning with Stizostedion spp., followed by Catostomus spp., then lake sturgeon, quillback, and mooneye drifting simultaneously, and finally Moxostoma spp. Generally, for all taxa except quillback, whose multimodal drift pattern suggests intermittent, prolonged spawning, larval-drift profiles showed one major seasonal mode, which was observed simultaneously at all transects. For all taxa except quillback, drift rates peaked between 21:00 and 03:00 and were minimal during daylight hours. Lake sturgeon and Stizostedion spp. larval drift rates decreased radically from the most upstream to the most downstream transect, suggesting that both taxa spawn mostly in the vicinity of the DPR power house. More studies are required to explain this longitudinal decline in drift rates, particularly for lake sturgeon. The other taxa showed longitudinal variation in larval drift rates, suggesting that they spawn near the DPR power house and (or) in the Île de Pierre Rapids, ca. 12 km downstream. At all transects, larval drift rates for the six taxa were generally higher in the right half (Montreal) of the river, suggesting that eggs are deposited mostly in this part of the river at the two major spawning areas and that larvae tend to remain in the same general corridors during downstream migration. For all taxa, though to a lesser extent for lake sturgeon, nocturnal drift rates tend to be higher near the surface than at mid-depth and near the bottom, the reverse situation being observed for diurnal drift rates.

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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?

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f92-149 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 49 (7) ◽

pp. 1336-1342 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

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).

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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)

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f95-052 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 52 (3) ◽

pp. 512-520 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

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.

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Morphological Differentiation of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) from the St. Lawrence River and Lac des Deux Montagnes (Quebec, Canada)

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f92-217 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 49 (9) ◽

pp. 1959-1965 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Sylvie Guénette ◽

Eric Rassart ◽

Réjean Fortin

Keyword(s):

Multivariate Analyses ◽

Morphological Differentiation ◽

Lake Sturgeon ◽

Acipenser Fulvescens ◽

Meristic Characters ◽

Morphometric Characters ◽

Saint Louis ◽

Discriminant Analyses ◽

St Lawrence River ◽

River Fish

We investigated the degree of morphological differentiation of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) from the St. Lawrence River (Lacs Saint-Pierre and Saint-Louis and the river itself downstream from Lac Saint-Pierre) and from Lac des Deux Montagnes. Forty-one morphometric characters (traditional and truss network) and two meristic traits were used on 200 sturgeon (890–1010 mm total length) from five sites. The study of the meristic characters showed a difference of 1.5 gill rakers between Lac Saint-Louis sturgeon and those from Lac Saint-Pierre and Lac des Deux Montagnes although the range was identical in all groups. Principal components and discriminant analyses performed on morphometric characters showed that Lac des Deux Montagnes sturgeon differ markedly from the St. Lawrence River fish by their proportionally higher and longer head (correct reclassification 89%). The more discriminant descriptors show a difference ranging from 4 to 16 mm between Lac des Deux Montagnes fish and those from the St. Lawrence River. The multivariate analyses also revealed significant morphometric differences between fish in different sectors of the St. Lawrence River. However, the absolute differences are rather tenuous and are not adequate to designate separate stocks based solely on morphology.

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Reference intervals for select hematologic and plasma biochemical analytes of wild Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) from the St. Lawrence River in New York

Veterinary Clinical Pathology ◽

10.1111/vcp.12017 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

pp. 19-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Louis DiVincenti ◽

Jeff Wyatt ◽

Heather Priest ◽

Dawn Dittman ◽

Rodger Klindt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Reference Intervals ◽

Lake Sturgeon ◽

Acipenser Fulvescens ◽

St Lawrence River

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Management of the Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens population in the lower St Lawrence River (Québec, Canada) from the 1910s to the present

Journal of Applied Ichthyology ◽

10.1111/j.1439-0426.2011.01727.x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 405-410 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Y. Mailhot ◽

P. Dumont ◽

N. Vachon

Keyword(s):

Lake Sturgeon ◽

Acipenser Fulvescens ◽

St Lawrence River

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

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v117i4.822 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 117 (4) ◽

pp. 541 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

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.

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An assessment of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in various reaches of the Ottawa River

Journal of Applied Ichthyology ◽

10.1046/j.1439-0426.2002.00428.x ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 18 (4-6) ◽

pp. 449-454 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

T. Haxton

Keyword(s):

Lake Sturgeon ◽

Acipenser Fulvescens ◽

Ottawa River

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Potential Fishery for Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) as Indicated by the Returns of the Hudson's Bay Company Lac la Pluie District

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f88-113 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 45 (5) ◽

pp. 921-923 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Tim Holzkamm ◽

Michael McCarthy

Keyword(s):

Drainage Basin ◽

Fur Trade ◽

Lake Sturgeon ◽

Acipenser Fulvescens ◽

Commercial Fishing ◽

Commercial Fishery ◽

Hudson's Bay Company ◽

Lake Of The Woods ◽

High Production ◽

Hudson’S Bay Company

The isinglass returns for the Hudson's Bay Company Lac la Pluie District have been used to estimate the Ojibway harvest of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) from 1823 to 1885. The majority of these fish were taken in the Rainy River from spawning runs originating in Lake of the Woods. American commercial fishing of sturgeon in Lake of the Woods began in 1888, with commercial operations on the Canadian side following within a few years. Initially high production levels characterize the non-Ojibway fishery for the first 20 yr, with rapid declines due to depleted sturgeon populations in the following years. Similar responses to commercial sturgeon fishing in other areas have led many to conclude that fisheries stocks could not support a significant sustained commercial fishery. In contrast, the Ojibway harvest during 63 yr of fur trade records indicates potential for a substantial sustained commercial sturgeon harvest from the Lake of the Woods basin. The same conclusion is not evident from American and Canadian records of sturgeon harvests from the same drainage basin.

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