Estuarine Habitat Use by White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus)

White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus), a species of concern in the San Francisco Estuary, is in relatively low abundance due to a variety of factors. Patton et al. sought identify the estuarine habitat used by White Sturgeon to aid in the conservation and management of the species locally and across its range. By seasonally sampled sub-adult and adult White Sturgeon in the central estuary using setlines across a habitat gradient representative of three primary structural elements, the authors found that the shallow open-water shoal and deep open-water channel habitats were consistently occupied by White Sturgeon in spring, summer, and fall across highly variable water quality conditions, whereas the shallow wetland channel habitat was essentially unoccupied. In summary, sub-adult and adult White Sturgeon inhabit estuaries in at least spring, summer, and fall and small, shallow wetland channels are relatively unoccupied.

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Tissue Contaminant Burdens in San Francisco Estuary White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus): Implications for Population Recovery

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology ◽

10.1007/s00244-017-0378-9 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 73 (2) ◽

pp. 334-347 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Deke T. Gundersen ◽

Steven C. Zeug ◽

Robert B. Bringolf ◽

Joseph Merz ◽

Zachary Jackson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

San Francisco ◽

San Francisco Estuary ◽

White Sturgeon ◽

Acipenser Transmontanus ◽

Population Recovery

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Correction to: Spatio-temporal distribution of Green Sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) and White Sturgeon (A. transmontanus) in the San Francisco Estuary and Sacramento River, California

Environmental Biology of Fishes ◽

10.1007/s10641-020-01006-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 103 (9) ◽

pp. 1163-1164

Author(s):

Emily A. Miller ◽

Gabriel P. Singer ◽

Matthew L. Peterson ◽

Eric D. Chapman ◽

Myfanwy E. Johnston ◽

...

Keyword(s):

San Francisco ◽

Temporal Distribution ◽

San Francisco Estuary ◽

Sacramento River ◽

White Sturgeon ◽

Green Sturgeon ◽

Acipenser Medirostris ◽

Spatio Temporal

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Confirmed Observation: A North American Green Sturgeon Acipenser medirostris Recorded in the Stanislaus River, California

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management ◽

10.3996/012018-jfwm-006 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 624-630 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jesse T. Anderson ◽

Gregg Schumer ◽

Paul J. Anders ◽

Kyle Horvath ◽

Joseph E. Merz

Keyword(s):

San Francisco ◽

North American ◽

San Francisco Estuary ◽

White Sturgeon ◽

Green Sturgeon ◽

Distinct Population ◽

Acipenser Medirostris ◽

San Joaquin River ◽

Distinct Population Segment ◽

Population Segment

AbstractTwo sturgeon species are native to the San Francisco Estuary watershed in California: White Sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus and North American Green Sturgeon Acipenser medirostris. The San Francisco Estuary has two main tributaries, the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. Recent studies have shown that the San Joaquin River is used by Green and White Sturgeon and that at least a small number of White Sturgeon spawn there when environmental conditions allow. However, records of Green Sturgeon in the San Joaquin River and its tributaries are rare and limited to information from angler report cards. In 2006, the National Marine Fisheries Service listed the southern distinct population segment of North American Green Sturgeon as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Federally designated critical habitat for the southern distinct population segment of Green Sturgeon does not extend upstream of the San Joaquin River's confluence with the Stanislaus River. We recently confirmed an adult Green Sturgeon holding in a deep pool near Knights Ferry, California in the Stanislaus River. We observed and recorded the fish using a GoPro® video camera and used environmental deoxyribonucleic acid sampling techniques to confirm species identification. This paper provides the first confirmed record of Green Sturgeon in any tributary of the San Joaquin River, which is beyond the designated critical habitat area. Future well-designed research focused on the San Joaquin River and its tributaries is expected to improve our understanding regarding the importance of these rivers for the various life stages of North American Green Sturgeon.

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Spatio-temporal distribution of Green Sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) and White Sturgeon (A. transmontanus) in the San Francisco Estuary and Sacramento River, California

Environmental Biology of Fishes ◽

10.1007/s10641-020-00972-x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 103 (5) ◽

pp. 577-603 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Emily A. Miller ◽

Gabriel P. Singer ◽

Matthew L. Peterson ◽

Eric D. Chapman ◽

Myfanwy E. Johnston ◽

...

Keyword(s):

San Francisco ◽

Temporal Distribution ◽

San Francisco Estuary ◽

Sacramento River ◽

White Sturgeon ◽

Green Sturgeon ◽

Acipenser Medirostris ◽

Spatio Temporal

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White Sturgeon Spawning in the San Joaquin River, California, and Effects of Water Management

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management ◽

10.3996/092015-jfwm-092 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 171-180 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Zachary J. Jackson ◽

Joshua J. Gruber ◽

Joel P. Van Eenennaam

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

San Francisco ◽

San Francisco Estuary ◽

Sacramento River ◽

White Sturgeon ◽

Late Winter ◽

Successful Management ◽

Pulse Flow ◽

San Joaquin River ◽

The World

Abstract Inadequate recruitment is a hallmark of declining sturgeon populations throughout the world. Efforts to understand and address the processes that regulate recruitment are of foremost importance for successful management and recovery. Fish biologists previously only knew San Francisco Estuary white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) to spawn in the Sacramento River, California. We assessed potential white sturgeon spawning locations by deploying artificial substrate samplers during late winter and spring of 2011 and 2012 from river kilometers 115.2 to 145.3 of the San Joaquin River. Collections of fertilized eggs, coupled with hydrology data, confirm that white sturgeon spawned within one and four sites in the San Joaquin River during wet (2011; n = 23) and dry (2012; n = 65) water-year conditions. Small pulse flow augmentations intended to benefit juvenile salmonids appear to have triggered white sturgeon spawning within this system. Understanding the effects of water management on spawning and subsequent recruitment is necessary to increase white sturgeon recruitment to the San Francisco Estuary.

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Living Fossils: Sturgeon of the San Francisco Estuary

Frontiers for Young Minds ◽

10.3389/frym.2021.612877 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Page E. Vick ◽

John T. Kelly

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Water Management ◽

San Francisco ◽

New Technologies ◽

San Francisco Estuary ◽

Body Armor ◽

White Sturgeon ◽

Spawning Habitat ◽

Living Fossils ◽

Sturgeon Species

Sturgeon are fish that are considered living fossils. Their ancestors date back over 200 million years, to the same time as dinosaurs. These fish can grow taller than humans (over 2 m), weigh over 160 kg, and live as long as humans. Sturgeon species have special adaptations, such as a vacuum-like mouth and body armor called scutes. There are 27 species of sturgeon worldwide. Two species, green and white sturgeon, are native to California, USA, and are some of the largest animals in San Francisco Bay. Sturgeon populations have declined due to habitat loss, water management, overfishing, poaching, pollution, and climate change. Sturgeon cannot jump over barriers like salmon can, so structures like dams that block water also block sturgeon from reaching their natural spawning habitat farther upstream in the river. Scientists are using new technologies to monitor sturgeon populations and discover the unique behaviors of these dinosaur-era fish in California’s rivers and estuaries.

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Estuarine-terrestrial habitat gradients enhance nursery function for resident and transient fishes in the San Francisco Estuary

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps13238 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 637 ◽

pp. 141-157 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

DD Colombano ◽

AD Manfree ◽

TA O’Rear ◽

JR Durand ◽

PB Moyle

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

San Francisco ◽

Striped Bass ◽

Temporal Trends ◽

Open Water ◽

San Francisco Estuary ◽

Ecological Resilience ◽

Sea Levels ◽

Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽

Starry Flounder

Nursery functions of US West Coast drowned river valley estuaries are not well understood. Using long-term fish-monitoring data (1995-2017) in Suisun Marsh, San Francisco Estuary, California, USA, we examined spatial and temporal trends in abundance and apparent growth of fishes with diverse life-history types. Focal species were Sacramento splittail Pogonichthys macrolepidotus, striped bass Morone saxatilis, tule perch Hysterocarpus traski, and starry flounder Platichthys stellatus, which collectively represented 55% of total catch (n = 140092). We identified keystone habitat patches that functioned as nursery hotspots during the peak young-of-the-year recruitment window. Deep, flow-through sloughs close to the open estuary were important nursery habitats for the marine transient starry flounder. In contrast, splittail and striped bass mostly migrated through such corridors to rear in shallow, dead-end sloughs bisecting tidal marsh plains, managed tidal ponds, and uplands. Tule perch were concentrated in shallow, interior sloughs, reflecting their resident life-history type and adaptations to variable conditions in a small home range. Interactions among freshwater flows and stationary habitat features (e.g. channel depth, land-to-open-water ratio) were related to fish abundance; however, species and age classes differed in their relationships to these interactions, suggesting a mechanism for habitat partitioning in space and time. Overall, we inferred that habitat connectivity—longitudinal, lateral, and vertical—along the estuarine-terrestrial gradient was a driver of fish species diversity and productivity. Consideration of seascape-landscape dynamics across multiple spatial and temporal scales in estuaries should help maintain or increase fish populations and ecological resilience in the face of rising sea levels and other environmental stressors.

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