scholarly journals Living Fossils: Sturgeon of the San Francisco Estuary

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.

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

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-180 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals APPLICATION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN THE WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (22) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanel Buljubašić
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Management ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Supply System ◽  
Water Supply System ◽  
Integrated Water Management

Freshwater water resources are not inexhaustible [1]. In recent decades, more and more facts point to this statement from the European Charter for Water. Uncontrolled drinking water interventions, losses in water supply and climate change indicate the problem of sufficient quantities of drinking water [2]. Looking at this problem, it is hard to believe that new quantities of drinking water can be produced. The model of integrated water management has been increasingly used in recent years. The application of new technologies in water supply creates conditions for the controlled management of water intakes and losses in water supply. Each water sapply system needs to develop its own model for integrated water management.

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

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 334-347 ◽  
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

scholarly journals Estuarine Habitat Use by White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus)

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Patton ◽  
Veronica Larwood ◽  
Matthew Young
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Water Channel ◽  
Open Water ◽  
San Francisco Estuary ◽  
White Sturgeon ◽  
Acipenser Transmontanus ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Estuarine Habitat ◽  
Habitat Gradient ◽  
Variable Water

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.

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

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 624-630 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals A Fish Story: Hot Water and Dangerous Behavior!

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany E. Davis ◽  
Ted Sommer ◽  
Nann A. Fangue ◽  
Anne E. Todgham
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
San Francisco Estuary ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Delta Smelt ◽  
Endangered Fish ◽  
Dangerous Behavior ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
Rare And Endangered

Climate change is warming up water all over the world, including in the San Francisco Estuary. This has caused fish who live there to change their behavior in unexpected ways. All animals, including fish, have regular and specialized behaviors that help them to survive. Fish swim, by themselves or in groups, to move to safer habitats, to find food or mates, or just to avoid danger. Scientists worry that changes to these behaviors brought on by warming water will make estuaries less safe for rare and endangered fish like the delta smelt. In the San Francisco Estuary, we found that warmer waters caused delta smelt to swim faster and further away from their neighbors, and to be eaten more often by predators. All these changes could hurt the ability of delta smelt to survive in the future.

scholarly journals Are You a HAB Warrior?

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggy W. Lehman ◽  
Tomofumi Kurobe ◽  
Timothy G. Otten ◽  
Melissa B. Peacock
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Harmful Algal Blooms ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
San Francisco Estuary ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Aquatic Animals ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Gas ◽  
Large Numbers

Microalgae and cyanobacteria are tiny, microscopic plant-like organisms that float in the water and grow using nutrients from the water, energy from the sun and carbon dioxide gas from the air. Most microalgae and cyanobacteria are helpful because, like grass for cows on land, they provide food for aquatic animals. However, some microalgae and cyanobacteria are poisonous and when large numbers of them occur, they are called harmful algal blooms, or HABs for short. HABs can poison both humans and animals through the food they eat, the water they drink, and even the air they breathe. HABs are increasing within lakes, rivers, oceans, and estuaries worldwide because of pollution and climate change. This article will tell you about HABs in San Francisco Estuary, USA: who they are, what they look like, why they occur, how they affect plants, animals and people, and things you can do as a HAB warrior to stay safe and prevent their spread.

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