Changes in Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) Habitat in the South Saskatchewan River Under Regional Climate Change

Changes in Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) Habitat in the South Saskatchewan River Under Regional Climate Change PDF Author: Kerry Head
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Movement and Habitat Use of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) in the South Saskatchewan River System

Movement and Habitat Use of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) in the South Saskatchewan River System PDF Author: Christine D Lacho
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Dissertations, Academic
Languages : en
Pages : 158

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Life History, Habitat and Distribution of the Lake Sturgeon Acipenser Fulvescens in the South Saskatchewan River, Alberta

Life History, Habitat and Distribution of the Lake Sturgeon Acipenser Fulvescens in the South Saskatchewan River, Alberta PDF Author: Gordon Neal Haugen
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fishes
Languages : en
Pages : 54

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Life History, Habitat and Distribution of the Lake Sturgeon, Acipenser Fulvescens, in the South Saskatchewan River, Alberta

Life History, Habitat and Distribution of the Lake Sturgeon, Acipenser Fulvescens, in the South Saskatchewan River, Alberta PDF Author: Gordon Neal Haugen
Publisher: Fish and Wildlife Division, Department of Lands and Forests
ISBN:
Category : Fishes
Languages : en
Pages : 54

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Adult Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) Habitat Use, Groundhog River

Adult Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) Habitat Use, Groundhog River PDF Author: John Seyler
Publisher: South Porcupine : Northeast Science & Technology, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 34

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Describes a field study designed to establish seasonal habitat use relationships for adult lake sturgeon on the Groundhog River, north-eastern Ontario. The study was conducted in 1996 and examined lake sturgeon habitat use during spring and autumn seasons, representing high and low water conditions respectively. Fish were netted in randomly chosen locations in the study area, upstream and downstream of the Camus Rapids, and were measured, weighed, marked, and released. Catch, meristic, and habitat parameter data were entered into an electronic data base and analyzed using the SYSTAT program. Results presented include sturgeon length frequency distributions, substrate and depth preferences exhibited, and stream velocity preferences.

Sustaining the Recovery of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) in the North Saskatchewan River of Alberta

Sustaining the Recovery of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) in the North Saskatchewan River of Alberta PDF Author: Owen B. Watkins
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Lake sturgeon
Languages : en
Pages : 71

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Nearly all Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) populations across North America have experienced losses to historic abundances estimated to be > 99%. This species is especially vulnerable to overharvest, habitat degradation, river fragmentation from dams, and is slow to recover due to life history characteristics. In the Alberta section of the North Saskatchewan River, Canada, passive management strategies led to overharvest, and combined with poor water quality, contributed to the collapse of the Lake Sturgeon population circa 1940. However, improved water quality beginning in the 1960s, along with the implementation of a zero-harvest regulation in 1997 prompted a Lake Sturgeon population recovery. Lake Sturgeon population viability remained questionable with low population abundance with particularly few adult fish, complicated by industrial development, and an increasing human population. Furthermore, the North Saskatchewan River has a popular multi-species sport fishery, complicating Lake Sturgeon management and recovery. My objective is to determine whether the status of the Lake Sturgeon population in the North Saskatchewan River in Alberta is declining, improving or remaining the same. To address this objective I required knowledge of Lake Sturgeon life history and sources of mortality. More specifically, I investigated: 1) population metrics for a status assessment, 2) a resource selection function for identification of important habitat using inputs from telemetry and land classification data, 3) defining technological limitations of telemetry information and 4) an assessment of current rates of angling mortality and management options for Lake Sturgeon recovery. I found that both recruitment and adult abundance had increased in the most recent years (2008 to 2012), even though the total mortality rate was higher than the 7% threshold proposed by the Alberta Lake Sturgeon Recovery Team. However, a high rate of somatic growth implies that abundance in the North Saskatchewan River is still below carrying capacity. Telemetry of 58 Lake Sturgeon over a 38-month period suggested that the population used the entire section of the North Saskatchewan River downstream from Drayton Valley, Alberta to the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. Additionally, some fish moved exceptional distances (> 925 rkm) between Alberta and Saskatchewan, illustrating the importance of river connectivity. Landscape classifications adjacent to the river were ineffective predictors of Lake Sturgeon congregations. There was a difference in habitat selection by males and females, with females found further downstream, but occupying similar slope gradients as the males. Small-scale details of habitat selection could not be investigated because of the technical limitations of existing telemetry technology. I found that radio telemetry detections from an aircraft were dependent upon transmitter type, water depth, receiver altitude, and scanning time. Larger transmitters were detected from a greater distance than smaller transmitters and the probability of detection was highest at a receiver altitude of 300 m when the two transmitter types were at a depth of 1 m. Furthermore, my relocations of the two transmitter types based upon maximum signal strength had a precision of ± 177 m distance for all depths and receiver altitudes from the actual transmitter location. I provide six probability of detection models for researchers to quantify their telemetry equipment. For investigating recovery management options, I used a theoretical objective of having a total population of 5,000 Lake Sturgeon, with an occasional fish surviving to 100-years. This requires total mortality to be approximately 5%, although my current estimate of total mortality is approximately 9.4%. To achieve my population objective, mortality must be significantly reduced. Estimates from catch and release fishing by three angler groups (non-specific anglers, anglers targeting sturgeon and research anglers) suggests that sport angling and its associated incidental mortality results in fewer than 18 dead Lake Sturgeon annually and further restrictions on sport angling are currently unnecessary. My only remaining management option to improve Lake Sturgeon survival is through habitat protection. My telemetry data suggested 10 primary locations of Lake Sturgeon congregations. Existing provincial regulations (Class 'A' watercourse designations) currently protect approximately 30% of these congregation sites. To protect at least 75% of these areas, I propose 10 new Class 'A' extents that reduce the total area of current Class 'A' protection (from 64 to 58 river km), which provides an improved means for protecting Lake Sturgeon and habitat.

Survey of the Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) Fishery on the South Saskatchewan River, Alberta

Survey of the Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) Fishery on the South Saskatchewan River, Alberta PDF Author: L. A. Winkel
Publisher: Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, Fisheries & Wildlife Management Division, Resource Status and Assessment Branch
ISBN: 9780778517634
Category : Endangered species
Languages : en
Pages : 12

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Proceedings of a Workshop on the Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens)

Proceedings of a Workshop on the Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) PDF Author: C. H. Olver
Publisher: Toronto, ON : Ministry of Natural Resources
ISBN: 9780772921079
Category : Lake sturgeon
Languages : en
Pages : 99

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Movements, Habitat Use, and Abundance of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) in Lake Champlain

Movements, Habitat Use, and Abundance of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) in Lake Champlain PDF Author: Lisa K. Izzo
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Lake sturgeon
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in Lake Champlain were listed as endangered in 1972. Significant gaps exist in understanding lake sturgeon in the system as well as the methods needed to properly monitor and assess them. My research had three main goals: (1) investigate movements and habitat use of lake sturgeon in the Lake Champlain basin, (2) develop a method to estimate lake sturgeon abundance using sonar technology, and (3) test an alternative method for aging lake sturgeon. One of the primary information gaps for lake sturgeon in Lake Champlain is an understanding of the movements and habitat use of multiple life stages. I used acoustic telemetry to describe seasonal movement patterns and distribution of adult and juvenile lake sturgeon and to quantify the spatial overlap between these life stages. We found that juvenile and adult home ranges overlapped in shallow ( 10 m) water in the summer and fall. During the winter, adults remained in shallow water and juveniles moved to deep-water ( 25 m) overwintering sites. These results identified important areas for lake sturgeon and indicated that there are seasonal differences in habitat use between life stages. I also used acoustic telemetry to describe adult lake sturgeon movement patterns during the spawning period and to investigate environmental drivers of these movements in the Winooski River. River discharge, temperature, the magnitude and direction of the change in temperature (3-day lag), and time of day were significant factors in describing upstream movements. Adult lake sturgeon displayed general movement patterns that included a single run upstream, upstream and downstream movements throughout the river, or multiple runs made up the entire length of the spawning tributary to the spawning site. An understanding of the movements during the spawning period was key in the method I developed to estimate lake sturgeon abundance. To estimate abundance of lake sturgeon spawning in the Winooski River, I used acoustic telemetry data from adult lake sturgeon to estimate observation probability of the sonar and the probability that a lake sturgeon had been seen previously during the season. Using a Bayesian integrated model, I combined these parameters with counts from a dual-frequency identification sonar (DIDSON) to estimate abundances each year: 110 (47 -- 229 CI) in 2017, 133 (79 -- 242 CI) in 2018, and 99 (51 -- 220 CI). The results of this work represent the first estimate of abundance for spawning lake sturgeon in a Lake Champlain tributary, and will be key to tracking progress towards lake sturgeon recovery moving forward. Age data in long-lived species such as lake sturgeon can point to signs of successful recruitment and recovery. I investigated use of the second marginal pectoral fin ray as an alternative, less invasive method for estimating ages of lake sturgeon. The variability of age estimates among different readers and fin structures indicated that the second fin ray may provide some utility to age juvenile lake sturgeon but is not a viable substitute for estimating ages of adult lake sturgeon. These results provide valuable information to managers looking to gain essential age data while also decreasing the impact of handling endangered lake sturgeon.

A Study of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) Movements, Abundance, and Harvest in the South Saskatchewan River, Alberta

A Study of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) Movements, Abundance, and Harvest in the South Saskatchewan River, Alberta PDF Author: Recreation, Parks & Wildlife Foundation
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fishery management
Languages : en
Pages : 110

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