Identification of potential wintering habitat for threatened Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus in Saco Bay, Maine, USA

This technical note describes a field study investigating the movements of federally endangered Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus (ATS), during the summer and fall of 2017 near a cutterhead dredge working in the James River, Virginia, to provide data addressing the concern about the potential impacts of dredging activities (for example, excavation, transit, disposal, sounds, reduced water quality) on the ATS.

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Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus surfacing behaviour

Journal of Fish Biology ◽

10.1111/jfb.13552 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 92 (4) ◽

pp. 929-943

Author(s):

L. M. Logan-Chesney ◽

M. J. Dadswell ◽

R. H. Karsten ◽

I. Wirgin ◽

M. J. W. Stokesbury

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Sturgeon ◽

Acipenser Oxyrinchus

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Anadromous Sturgeons: Habitats, Threats, and Management

Anadromous Sturgeons: Habitats, Threats, and Management ◽

10.47886/9781888569919.ch23 ◽

2007 ◽

Keyword(s):

South Carolina ◽

Brackish Water ◽

Data Sets ◽

Water Interface ◽

Atlantic Sturgeon ◽

Gill Net ◽

Large Numbers ◽

Class Strength ◽

Study Designs ◽

Acipenser Oxyrinchus

Abstract.â€”The anadromous Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus once supported an important commercial fishery throughout its range (northern Florida, USA, to Labrador, Canada). All surviving populations are apparently depleted, presumably due to overfishing, pollution, and dam construction. A complete moratorium on the fishery has been established in U.S. waters. Unfortunately, population status is unknown for nearly all systems. Several 1994â€“2001 data sets from South Carolina rivers were examined for their potential in development of recruitment (year-class abundance) indices. Because Atlantic sturgeon often begin leaving their natal systems at age 2, after which they occupy other systems and then presumably return to natal areas at sexual maturity several years later, a valid river-specific abundance index must be based on either age0â€“1 or adult fish. Working with three former commercial Atlantic sturgeon fishermen to collect adults in two rivers during the spring and fall of 1998 resulted in collection of only 39 fish in 13 nominal age-classes. In another river, 2 years of monthly sampling with multipanel, anchored gill nets and otter trawls at eight stations throughout the estuary produced only 31 juvenile Atlantic sturgeon. Neither of these study designs provided adequate sample sizes. However, sampling in a clean-bottom section at the freshwaterâ€“brackish water interface of the Edisto River with a modified drift gill net produced large numbers of small Atlantic sturgeon. More than 3,000 juveniles have been collected and tagged since 1994. The 1,331 nominal age-1 Atlantic sturgeon that were captured displayed a distinct bimodal length frequency distribution, supporting the hypothesis that there are both spring and fall spawning events. A period of record drought impeded sampling efforts during a portion of this study. However, when flows and bottom configurations allow nets to be fished at the freshwaterâ€“brackish water interface, the gears and methods employed in the Edisto River can produce an age-1 Atlantic sturgeon catch per unit effort that is high enough to be used in estimating relative year-class strength.

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Anadromous Sturgeons: Habitats, Threats, and Management

Anadromous Sturgeons: Habitats, Threats, and Management ◽

10.47886/9781888569919.ch19 ◽

2007 ◽

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Atlantic Coast ◽

The United States ◽

Management Plan ◽

Commercial Fishing ◽

Atlantic Sturgeon ◽

Coastal Fisheries ◽

Number Of Factors ◽

Acipenser Oxyrinchus ◽

The U.S

Abstract.â€”Large-scale commercial fisheries for Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus in the late 1880s eventually led to substantial reductions in the population size. The coastwide Atlantic sturgeon population of the United States has not recovered to the levels seen prior to the 1900s. A number of factors have contributed to the slow recovery or continued decline of Atlantic sturgeon populations, including continued commercial fishing and the targeting of females for caviar, bycatch in other fisheries, and changes in habitat due to dam construction and water quality degradation. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) developed the first coastwide management plan for Atlantic sturgeon in 1990. In response to the shortcomings of that plan, the ASMFC applied new standards and the authority granted to it by the U.S. Congress to adopt a coastwide moratorium on all harvesting in 1998. A federal status review conducted in 1998 concluded that the continued existence of Atlantic sturgeon was not threatened given the situation at the time. Since then, monitoring programs have indicated varying levels of relative abundance in several water bodies along the Atlantic coast. The U.S. government is responsible for undertaking a status review to document any changes since the last review and determining whether those findings warrant a threatened or endangered listing for the species. The governmentâ€™s findings may have far-reaching effects on many other Atlantic coastal fisheries.

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Life in the Slow Lane: Ecology and Conservation of Long-Lived Marine Animals

Life in the Slow Lane: Ecology and Conservation of Long-Lived Marine Animals ◽

10.47886/9781888569155.ch6 ◽

1999 ◽

Keyword(s):

Fisheries Management ◽

Fish Species ◽

Ionization Mass ◽

Atlantic Sturgeon ◽

Marine Animals ◽

Accuracy And Precision ◽

Fin Ray ◽

Ion Exchange Separation ◽

Radiometric Ages ◽

Acipenser Oxyrinchus

Abstract. —Radiometric aging of fishes is a recently developed technique using the disequilibria of 210 Pb:226 Ra in calcified structures to determine age. It has been applied successfully to several fish species, but certain limitations have made improvements desirable. Because 226 Ra can be measured directly by counting atoms using isotope-dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS), a new ion-exchange separation technique was developed to isolate small quantities of radium from calcified structures for TIMS determination. The advantages of this new technique are reduced sample mass and processing time, and greater accuracy and precision of radium quantification. We applied this technique to calcified structures from three fish species: otolith cores of Pacific grenadier Coryphaenoides acrolepis and tarpon Megalops atlanticus, and pectoral fin ray cores of Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus. Annulus-derived age estimates for C. acrolepis were accurate with a confirmed longevity of at least 48 years. Although annulus-derived ages for M. atlanticus were inconsistent with radiometric ages, radiometric aging confirmed that tarpon are longlived; females may exceed 82 years. Radiometric age could not be determined for A. oxyrinchus because 210 Pb activities were greater than could be supported by ingrowth from 226 Ra decay. In this paper we discuss the application and limitations of this technique and its relevance to fisheries management.

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Growth and Survival of Hatchery-Produced Atlantic Sturgeon Released as Young-of-Year into the Hudson River, New York

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management ◽

10.3996/012011-jfwm-005 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 23-32 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jerre W. Mohler ◽

John A. Sweka ◽

Andrew Kahnle ◽

Kathryn Hattala ◽

Amanda Higgs ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Atlantic Coast ◽

Hudson River ◽

Atlantic Sturgeon ◽

Growth And Survival ◽

New York Bight ◽

Hatchery Fish ◽

Pectoral Spine ◽

Acipenser Oxyrinchus ◽

Pelvic Fin

Abstract In 2007, a team of U.S. scientists performed a status review of Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus and concluded that the species would likely become endangered (U.S. Endangered Species Act 1973, as amended) in the foreseeable future over much of its range, including populations of the New York Bight, which is comprised of the Hudson and Delaware rivers. Therefore, we evaluated an experimental release of hatchery-produced Atlantic sturgeon that took place in 1994 to determine the value of using stocked fish as a population recovery tool. We obtained recapture data on hatchery fish (identified by presence of pelvic fin removal) from the Atlantic Coast Sturgeon Tagging Database. Our evaluation of retention for a pelvic fin removal mark on hatchery fish showed that 36% of clipped individuals retained a clean fin clip after 49 d. The minimum survival rate for hatchery fish to age 5 was estimated to be in the range of 0.49–0.66% using documented recaptures (N = 24), known number of fish stocked, and results of the pelvic fin removal evaluation. Length and weight-at-age for recaptured hatchery fish at known ages 5–17 were within the range of values reported for wild fish whose ages were estimated by pectoral spine analysis. We also report that one ripe male hatchery fish at age 15 was captured along with other spermiating males at its parental spawning area in the Hudson River in 2009.

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Seasonal distribution and movement of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) in the lower Saint John River Basin, New Brunswick, Canada

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/cjfas-2017-0429 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 75 (12) ◽

pp. 2354-2363 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Margaret M. Whitmore ◽

Matthew K. Litvak

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Movement Patterns ◽

Principal Component ◽

Wide Distribution ◽

Atlantic Sturgeon ◽

Coarse Scale ◽

Brackish Waters ◽

Single Location ◽

Saint John ◽

Acipenser Oxyrinchus

Juvenile Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) movement and distribution varies seasonally within the lower Saint John River Basin. We use acoustic telemetry to track coarse-scale movement and a network-based approach to develop metrics describing distribution and movement patterns of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon tagged in two rivers, the Saint John and Kennebecasis rivers. We use principal component analysis to develop indices of movement and residency and test for differences among seasons and between fish from each river. Juvenile Atlantic sturgeon exhibit higher residency during summer months compared with winter and spring. Juveniles are primarily concentrated in the brackish waters of the lower river reaches but make movements as far upriver as rkm 88. There was high variation in distribution and movement patterns exhibited by fish tagged in the Kennebecasis River, ranging from single-location occupancy to wide distribution. Three fish left the system during the study, indicating juveniles embark on brief marine excursions. Identifying spatiotemporal distributions of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon in their natal river systems is a crucial step towards identifying critical habitat and informing management decisions for this species.

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Preliminary evaluation of the effectiveness of visible implant elastomer and coded wire tags for tagging young-of-the-year Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus

Archives of Polish Fisheries ◽

10.1515/aopf-2015-0026 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 23 (4) ◽

pp. 227-230 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Andrzej Kapusta ◽

Arkadiusz Duda ◽

Grzegorz Wiszniewski ◽

Ryszard Kolman

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Retention Rate ◽

Retention Rates ◽

Preliminary Evaluation ◽

Atlantic Sturgeon ◽

Size Groups ◽

Young Of The Year ◽

Acipenser Oxyrinchus ◽

The Impact ◽

Coded Wire Tags

Abstract The aim of the study was to determine the retention rates of visible implant elastomer (VIE) and coded wire tags (CWT) and the impact tagging had on the growth of Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus Mitchill, during an eight-week rearing period under laboratory conditions. Two size groups of young-of-the-year (YOY) sturgeon were used in the study. The tagging was not found to have a significant impact on the final total length or body weight or the condition coefficient of the sturgeon from either size group. Sturgeon survival in the different groups ranged from 90.6 to 100%. Mortality was not noted until two (CWT) and four (VIE) weeks following tagging and was probably not linked to tagging. The retention rate for VIE tags implanted in the rostrum in both size groups was 100%, while for tags implanted at the base of the pectoral fin was 93.5%. The retention of CWT in the smaller fish was 90%, and in the larger sturgeon it was 100%. Tagging small sturgeon with CWT and VIE is minimally invasive, and it did not impact the growth or condition of the tagged fish.

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