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.

Atlantic sturgeon movements in relation to a cutterhead dredge in the James River, Virginia

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.

Influence of the size and form of Artemia sp. nauplii on the growth and survival of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus Mitchill) larvae

The aim of the study was to determine the influence of the size and form of Artemia sp. feed on the rearing indices of Atlantic sturgeon larvae. In the experiment, the nauplius sizes used were 480 µm (group AD), 430 µm (group AM), and 430 µm frozen nauplii (group AI). After three weeks of rearing, the sturgeon from group AD had the highest mean body weight of 0.131 g that was statistically significantly different from groups AM (0.071 g) and AI (0.033 g). The longest total length was noted in group AD (2.8 cm) and was statistically different from the others (P ≤ 0.05). Specific growth rate in groups AD and AM was 14.7 and 11.8% d−1, respectively, and these values differed statistically from those in group AI at 7.8% d−1. The highest survival rate was recorded in group AD at 60.6%, while the lowest was noted in group AI at 15.6%, and the differences between these two groups were statistically significant. The results of the experiment indicated that a feed of live 480 µm Artemia sp. nauplius significantly accelerated the growth rates and increased the survival rates of Atlantic sturgeon larvae.

Molecular genetic characteristics of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) cultured in Poland: Report on a bilateral project

Using 8 microsatellite markers (Spl-106, Spl-101, ATR-113, Aox23, An20, AoxD161, AoxD165, AfuG41) and mtDNA species-specific region flanked by the tRNAThr coding region and D-loop, it was found that Atlantic sturgeon stocking material planned for transport from Poland to Belarus belonged to the species Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus Mitchill. No interspecific hybrids were found. All of the Atlantic sturgeon individuals examined as part of this study belonged to a Canadian population.