A Preliminary Abundance Estimate of an Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) Contingent Within an Open Riverine System

Abundance estimates are essential for fisheries management, but estimating the abundance of open populations with low recapture rates has historically been unreliable. However, by using mark-recapture data modulated with survivability parameters obtained from analysis of acoustic telemetry data, more accurate abundance estimates can be made for species that exhibit these characteristics. One such species is the Atlantic sturgeon, for which abundance estimates were designated a research priority following precipitous population declines throughout the 20th century. We addressed this research need in the Saco River Estuary (SRE), a system where the Atlantic sturgeon has been extensively studied using mark-recapture and acoustic telemetry methods since 2009. These data were analyzed using Bayesian analysis of a Lincoln-Peterson estimator, constrained with parameters from a Cormack-Jolly-Seber model, to provide an initial abundance estimate for the system. The resulting estimate indicated that approximately 3 299 (95% Credible Interval: 1 462–6 828) Atlantic sturgeon utilize the SRE yearly, suggesting that the SRE provides critical foraging habitat to a large contingent of the species within the Gulf of Maine. The present study demonstrated the method utilized herein was effective in generating a reasonable estimate of abundance in an open system where recapture events are rare, and therefore may provide a valuable technique for supplying initial estimates of fish abundance in additional systems that display similar characteristics.

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Biology, Management, and Protection of North American Sturgeon

Biology, Management, and Protection of North American Sturgeon ◽

10.47886/9781888569360.ch8 ◽

2002 ◽

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

South Carolina ◽

Chesapeake Bay ◽

Hudson River ◽

Delaware Bay ◽

Late Nineteenth Century ◽

Atlantic Sturgeon ◽

Preparation Methods ◽

Abundance Estimate ◽

Abundance Estimates

<em>Abstract.</em>—This paper analyzes historical abundances of spawning stocks of Atlantic sturgeon <em>Acipenser oxyrinchus</em> during the late nineteenth century, when peak United States harvest of Atlantic sturgeon occurred (3,200 metric tons in 1888). The advent of preparation methods for caviar, transportation networks that allowed export of caviar to Europe, improvements in fishing technology, and development of a domestic smoked sturgeon market caused rapid emergence of an Atlantic sturgeon industry after the Civil War. The industry originated and was centered in the Delaware Bay, which supported the most abundant population on the U.S. East Coast. Important fisheries also developed in the Chesapeake Bay, the Carolinas, and Georgia. Caviar was the principal marketable product of the fishery and large females were targeted, resulting in fisheries collapse at the turn of the century. No substantial resurgence of Atlantic sturgeon landings has occurred in the twentieth century. A previous analysis of U.S. Fish Commission catch and effort records for the Delaware Bay fishery provided an estimate of 180,000 females prior to 1890. The Delaware Bay abundance estimate was extrapolated to other states by calculating the mean level of each state’s contribution to U.S. yields during the period 1880–1901. This approach led to abundance estimates of 29,000 for the Southern States (North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida), 20,000 for the Chesapeake Bay (Maryland, Virginia), 180,000 for the Delaware Bay, and 6,000 for the Hudson River (New York). Although the approaches used to estimate historical biomass and abundance contain untested assumptions and biases, the dominance of the Delaware Bay population in comparison to others is in part confirmed by the industry that developed there. Given the uncertainty in abundance estimates, conservative benchmarks are proposed of 10,000 females each, for systems that previously supported important fisheries.

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Net-avoidance behaviour in platypuses

Australian Mammalogy ◽

10.1071/am12051 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 35 (2) ◽

pp. 245 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Josh Griffiths ◽

Tom Kelly ◽

Andrew Weeks

Keyword(s):

Acoustic Telemetry ◽

Direct Evidence ◽

Avoidance Behaviour ◽

Mark Recapture ◽

Abundance Estimates ◽

Ornithorhynchus Anatinus

It has been suggested that platypuses (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) may avoid nets following capture, compromising abundance estimates using mark–recapture models. Here, we present the first direct evidence of net avoidance behaviour by the platypus. Using acoustic telemetry, we record a platypus bypassing several nets following capture. Understanding variation in capture probabilities will lead to better estimation of platypus abundance, which is currently lacking.

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Biological characteristics of adult Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) in the St Lawrence River estuary and the effectiveness of management rules

Journal of Applied Ichthyology ◽

10.1046/j.1439-0426.2002.00416.x ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 18 (4-6) ◽

pp. 580-585 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

F. Caron ◽

D. Hatin ◽

R. Fortin

Keyword(s):

River Estuary ◽

Biological Characteristics ◽

Atlantic Sturgeon ◽

Acipenser Oxyrinchus ◽

St Lawrence River

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Movements and aggregation areas of adult Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) in the St Lawrence River estuary, Quebec, Canada

Journal of Applied Ichthyology ◽

10.1046/j.1439-0426.2002.00395.x ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 18 (4-6) ◽

pp. 586-594 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

D. Hatin ◽

R. Fortin ◽

F. Caron

Keyword(s):

River Estuary ◽

Atlantic Sturgeon ◽

Acipenser Oxyrinchus ◽

St Lawrence River

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Abundance Estimate for and Habitat Use by Early Juvenile Atlantic Sturgeon within the Delaware River Estuary

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society ◽

10.1080/00028487.2016.1214177 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 145 (6) ◽

pp. 1193-1201 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Edward A. Hale ◽

Ian A. Park ◽

Matthew T. Fisher ◽

Richard A. Wong ◽

Michael J. Stangl ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

River Estuary ◽

Atlantic Sturgeon ◽

Delaware River ◽

Early Juvenile ◽

Abundance Estimate ◽

Delaware River Estuary

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Integrating Acoustic Telemetry into a Mark–Recapture Model to Improve Catchability Parameters and Abundance Estimates of Lake Sturgeon in Eastern Lake Erie

North American Journal of Fisheries Management ◽

10.1002/nafm.10321 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 39 (5) ◽

pp. 913-920

Author(s):

Jonah L. Withers ◽

Donald Einhouse ◽

Michael Clancy ◽

Lori Davis ◽

Rachel Neuenhoff ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acoustic Telemetry ◽

Lake Erie ◽

Lake Sturgeon ◽

Mark Recapture ◽

Abundance Estimates

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Integrating acoustic telemetry into mark–recapture models to improve the precision of apparent survival and abundance estimates

Oecologia ◽

10.1007/s00442-015-3280-z ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 178 (3) ◽

pp. 761-772 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Christine L. Dudgeon ◽

Kenneth H. Pollock ◽

J. Matias Braccini ◽

Jayson M. Semmens ◽

Adam Barnett

Keyword(s):

Acoustic Telemetry ◽

Apparent Survival ◽

Mark Recapture ◽

Abundance Estimates

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A robust baseline for bottlenose dolphin abundance in coastal Moreton Bay: a large carnivore living in a region of escalating anthropogenic impacts

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr07021 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 35 (7) ◽

pp. 593 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Vimoksalehi Lukoschek ◽

B. Louise Chilvers

Keyword(s):

Bottlenose Dolphin ◽

Anthropogenic Impacts ◽

Bottlenose Dolphins ◽

Estimation Methods ◽

Line Transect ◽

Mark Recapture ◽

Abundance Estimate ◽

Photo Identification ◽

Moreton Bay ◽

Abundance Estimates

Marine megafauna populations in coastal waters are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic impacts. Moreton Bay, a large embayment in south-east Queensland, lies adjacent to one of the fastest growing regions in Australia and has a resident population of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops aduncus. Evaluation of the effectiveness of any proposed management strategy requires robust population abundance estimates. We estimated abundances of bottlenose dolphins in central eastern Moreton Bay (350 km2) using two commonly used abundance estimation methods for cetaceans: photo-identification mark–recapture and line-transect surveys. Mark–recapture data were analysed in CAPTURE using a model that allowed capture probabilities to vary between sampling events and between individuals. Based on an estimated 76% of the population identifiable photographically, total abundance estimates were 673 ± 130 s.e. (1997) and 818 ± 152 s.e. (1998). Line-transect data, analysed using DISTANCE, gave an abundance estimate of 407 ± 113.5 s.e. (2000). These abundance estimates are large compared with many other coastal bottlenose dolphin populations. The line-transect surveys comprised a pilot study, and the lower line-transect abundance estimate is probably best attributable to methodological issues. In particular, smaller mean group size was estimated for the line-transects surveys (2.85 ± 0.29 s.e.) than the mark–recapture surveys (4.87 ± 0.39 s.e., 1997; 5.78 ± 0.73 s.e., 1998), and line-transect group sizes were probably underestimated. In addition, the line-transect detection probability (g(o)) was assumed to be one but was almost certainly less than one. However, the possibility of an actual decline in population size cannot be ruled out. Coefficients of variation (CV) were lower for mark–recapture than for line-transect surveys, however, CVs of line-transect estimates could be lowered through improved survey design. We evaluated the power of these surveys to detect trends in potential population declines for bottlenose dolphins in Moreton Bay and make recommendations for ongoing monitoring strategies.

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