Abstracts
- Oral Presentations
Michigan’s St. Clair
System Sturgeon Fishery: Results of an Angler Postal
Survey - view
presentation (2.14 MB pdf)
Gary Towns, Michigan Department of Natural
Resources, Lake Erie Management Unit, Southfield,
MI and Mike Thomas, Michigan Department of Natural
Resources, Lake St. Clair Fisheries Research Station,
Harrison Township, MI
In 1999, based on the recommendations of the Michigan
Lake Sturgeon Rehabilitation Strategy, conservative
fishing regulations were implemented for Lake St.
Clair and the St. Clair River. Since then, management
of this fishery has been problematic since little
data has been collected regarding the extent of the
fishery. Michigan lake sturgeon anglers are required
to register for a sturgeon harvest tag in order to
fish for sturgeon. This provided the opportunity to
evaluate the fishery by surveying anglers who were
specifically interested in sturgeon fishing with a
questionnaire sent through the US Postal Service.
The objectives of the survey were to: 1) quantify
the fishing effort, catch, and harvest during 2006
and 2007; and 2) characterize the demographics of
the participating anglers during the same time period;
and finally 3) quantify angler opinions regarding
sturgeon harvest and the fishing regulations for the
St. Clair System sturgeon fishery. Questionnaires
were sent to 458 anglers. Non-respondents were mailed
up to two follow-up letters, and eventually 300 anglers
returned completed questionnaires. Sturgeon anglers
were found to be predominantly male (90%) with an
average age of 40.7 years. They reported catching
683 sturgeon in 2006 and 573 in 2007. The average
catch per angler was 4.4 and 3.1 in 2006 and 2007,
resp. Anglers reported 979 fishing trips for sturgeon
in 2007. Sturgeon anglers reported harvesting 10 fish
in 2006 and 4 in 2007. Some problems with registering
harvested sturgeon were identified, but the authors
still believe total harvest was well below of 3% of
the population – the harvest level identified
as the limit for a growing population. The results
of this postal survey indicated that fishing for sturgeon
in the St. Clair System has evolved into a primarily
catch-and-release fishery. Furthermore, results indicate
this fishery and associated conservative regulations
have provided anglers with a unique fishing opportunity,
while protecting and conserving a unique fishery resource.
The role that lake sturgeon
play in First Nation communities across Northern Ontario;
with a case study on the Namaygoosisagagun First Nation
lake sturgeon project completed on the remote system
of Smoothrock Lake.- view
presentation (2.53 MB pdf)
Kimberley Tremblay, Anishinabek/Ontario Fisheries
Resource Centre, North Bay, ON
Through time immemorial the lake sturgeon has held
an important role in First Nation communities. Lake
sturgeons are important spiritually and possess a
mystical power in the stories that are shared from
generation to generation. The role that lake sturgeon
play in these communities has however evolved over
time; shifting from being an important part of their
diet; to a resource that was traded as a commodity
for economic gain; to a time where the lake sturgeon
has become less important in present day society.
The Anishinabek Ontario Fisheries Resource Centre
(A/OFRC) has worked with a variety of First Nation
communities (Nipissing First Nation, Mississagi First
Nation, Pic River First Nation, Namaygoosisagagun
First Nation) that all have a different relationship
with lake sturgeon. For example, lake sturgeon have
played an important role in the Namaygoosisagagun
First Nation community, providing a reliable food
source every spring through subsistence fishing. This
however is changing with younger generations not wanting
to pick up this harvesting tradition. The Anishinabek
Ontario Fisheries Resource Centre (A/OFRC) along with
the Namaygoosisagagun First Nation has done three
consecutive years of spawning surveys. The use of
traditional ecological knowledge from elders of Namaygoosisagagun
First Nation was essential in the commencement of
this project. The opinion of these individuals will
be important when delivering the results to the community.
Since this lake is remote, it has not had the development
of dams and the creation of commercial fisheries.
Consequently, the lake sturgeon population has been
only minimally affected and provides an interesting
comparison with other more negatively affected populations.
Preliminary genetic work has shown that Smoothrock
Lake, lake sturgeon population originated from the
Great Lakes gene pool.
Current development of the
Lake Ontario Sturgeon Management Plan- view
presentation (720 KB pdf)
Alastair Mathers, Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources, Lake Ontario Management Unit, Picton ON
The Lake Ontario Committee of the Great Lakes Fisheries
Commission is developing a sturgeon management plan
for the ‘Lake Ontario system’. This talk
will describe the need for a plan, its outline and
describe some of the more contentious issues including:
the geographic scope of the plan, development of spawning
population-level goals, stocking and genetics, contaminants
and fish diseases. The process for completion of the
plan will also be discussed.
Development of a Tribal
Stewardship Plan for Sturgeon- view
presentation (1.94 MB pdf)
Marty Holtgren, Little River Band of Ottawa
Indians, Manistee, MI
In 2002, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians
implemented a strategy to manage the Big Manistee
River sturgeon population through the use of a stewardship
plan. The Tribally authorized plan, “Nmé
Stewardship Plan for the Manistee River and 1836 Reservation”
used both cultural and biological criteria for establishing
goals for restoration. A cultural context group consisting
of Tribal members and Tribal government staff was
formed to develop the plan. A primary goal of the
plan was to restore the harmony and connectivity between
Nmé and the Anishinaabe and bring them both
back to the river. The plan advocated for research
and restoration activities of Nmé. After three
years of research that defined the biological attributes
of the Manistee population we implemented strategies
for restoration. The first was a large-scale effort
of improving habitat for sturgeon within the watershed,
specifically minimizing the input of sand into the
river. Secondly, the first portable streamside rearing
facility for sturgeon was designed and operated for
lake sturgeon. This presentation will detail the development
of the Little River Band stewardship plan and the
implementation of strategies for sturgeon restoration.
Management lessons from
ocean fisheries, can they benefit lake sturgeon and
other Great Lakes species? - view
presentation (785 KB pdf)
Nancy A. Auer, Michigan Technological University,
Dept. of Biological Sciences, Houghton, MI
For many years fishery management in the Great Lakes
has dealt with management plans targeting individual
species and most, if not all plans, have focused on
eventual harvest goals. Most plans throughout the
Great Lakes share these two goals – eventual
harvest and uniform management across the range of
the fish. However in Ocean systems managers are developing
strategies that encompass more ecosystem-community
management and they are establishing reserves and
no fishing zones to protect fishes which use defined
habitats and movement patterns. This talk addresses
the possible implications of adapting new management
categories and strategies to Great Lakes Fishery management,
especially in regard to lake sturgeon and other recovering
Great Lake fish species.
Management Goals and Objectives
for Lake Sturgeon - view
presentation (264 KB pdf)
Lloyd Mohr, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources,
Great Lakes Branch, Owen Sound, ON
This presentation attempts to describe the basic
structure of a management plan and gives examples
of existing goals and objectives from management plans
in the Great Lakes. It is intended to provoke discussion
and thought around what is needed in a management
plan, how the parts are integrated, and what types
of questions planners should be asking themselves
as these management plans are developed.
Lake Sturgeon Relocation
at Adam Creek. Is this a sustainable management practice?-
view
presentation (3.17 MB pdf)
Dave Barbour, Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources, Kapuskasing Area Office, Kapuskasing, ON
The Moose River Basin in northeastern Ontario has
a relatively abundant lake sturgeon population with
some exceptions. The Little Long Generating Station
Reservoir on the Mattagami River supports one of the
most abundant known sturgeon populations in northeastern
Ontario. A recent 2002 census estimated there were
approximately 12,400 adult lake sturgeon in the Little
Long head pond. Three large rivers; the Mattagami,
Groundhog and Kapuskasing rivers contribute their
waters to this large 7200 hectare reservoir. The Little
Long Generating Station is the first of four hydroelectric
dams in a cascading series of four facilities comprising
the Mattagami Complex. The total capacity of all facilities
is 480MW. The Adam Creek Diversion re-directs flows
in excess of plant operating capacity around the four
hydro plants along a 37 km route before being re-connected
with the Mattagami River downstream of the complex.
The average spring flow in the diversion channel is
about 1250cms with a maximum potential of 4870cms.
Since 1963, the seasonal operation of Adam Creek
diversion and the LLGS spillway have entrained fish
after cessation of the spring freshet. In 1990 this
issue was brought to the attention of the Ministry
of Natural Resources and in that year 970 lake sturgeon
were relocated back into the Little Long Generating
Station head pond. Ontario Hydro now Ontario Power
Generation has researched physical barrier and behavioural
fish protection technologies and concluded there were
no technical or economically feasible alternatives
to the annual relocation program. A relocation program
developed in consensus with the Department of Fisheries
and Oceans and the MNR has relocated 4300 sturgeon
since 1990 back into the LLGS headpond. Mortality
associated with the spill events is unknown. Impacts
of injury and or stress to the reproductive capacity
of the once entrained and relocated fish are also
unknown.
Montcalm Mine Initiatives
to Protect Groundhog River Lake Sturgeon.
Laurent Robichaud and Pamela Reid, Montcalm
Environmental Liaison Group, Xstrata Nickel Montcalm
Mine, Timmins, ON
The Groundhog River in Northern Ontario still holds
its status of one of a few North American rivers to
have a reasonably healthy lake sturgeon population.
We will go over a brief history of the start up of
Montcalm Mine, public concern over the discharge of
water into the Groundhog River, the initiatives the
mine took to help protect and monitor the lake sturgeon
and the success these initiatives have had.
Evaluating collection, rearing,
and stocking methods for lake sturgeon (Acipenser
fulvescens) restoration programs in the Great Lakes-
view
presentation (1.50 MB pdf)
James Crossman1,2, Christine Davis1, Patrick
Forsythe3, Kim Scribner1,3, Edward Baker4
1Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan
State University, East Lansing, MI 48824
2BC Hydro, 601 - 18th Street, Castlegar, BC V1N 2N1
3Department of Zoology, Michigan State University,
East Lansing, MI 48824
4Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 484 Cherry
Creek Rd., Marquette, MI, 49855
Stocking hatchery produced lake sturgeon has been
advocated as an important management and conservation
strategy throughout the Great Lakes. However, prescriptions
for hatchery propagation and stocking programs have
been offered largely in the absence of data comparing
alternative methods. We empirically determined the
effects of different gamete/larval collection methods,
rearing environments, and age-at-stocking on juvenile
lake sturgeon growth, survival, and levels of genetic
diversity. Furthermore, we examined how hatchery rearing
environment and age at stocking affect survival and
movements following release at 8, 13, and 17 weeks
of age. Lake sturgeon were produced from direct gamete
takes from spawning adults, collections of naturally
produced eggs from the stream substrate, and collections
of larvae dispersing downstream from spawning habitats.
Offspring were reared in a streamside hatchery on
the natal Black River and in a traditional hatchery.
Dispersing larvae represented the highest amount of
genetic diversity present in the adult breeding population.
Survival and genetic diversity of offspring were significantly
higher for streamside reared individuals compared
to offspring reared in the traditional hatchery environment.
Significantly higher recapture rates were realized
for progeny reared in the streamside hatchery compared
to the traditional hatchery at 8 and 13 weeks of age.
Fish size was correlated with timing of movements
post-stocking across all ages. Collectively, our data
provide a framework for evaluating alternative strategies
for managers designing conservation programs for lake
sturgeon. Results indicate that supplementation protocols
for lake sturgeon should be developed on a site-specific
basis and demonstrate the importance of hatchery rearing
environment.
Limiting Fishing Mortality,
a Rehabilitation Tool- view
presentation (862 KB pdf)
Lloyd Mohr, Great Lakes Branch, Ontario Ministry
of Natural Resources, Owen Sound, ON
Fisheries resource managers have a number of tools
that they can use. Controlling exploitation, fisheries
mortality, is one of the most commonly used tools.
There are pros and cons to using this tool and these
will be discussed. A recent example of the use of
controlling fishing mortality will be given from the
province of Ontario.
Support for a Basinwide
Juvenile Index Survey- view
presentation (157 KB pdf)
Henry Quinlan, Ashland National Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Office, US Fish and Wildlife
Service, Ashland, WI
Development of a standardized index survey to assess
the relative abundance of juvenile lake sturgeon and
population biological characteristics could provide
comparable data for synthesis, management, and evaluation
of rehabilitation efforts. We implemented a survey
approach based on the Fall Walleye Index Netting (FWIN)
method used in Ontario, Canada, for Lake Superior
waters. Using a standardized survey across the Great
Lakes, comparable estimates for analysis of trends
over time in a location as well as comparisons between
different waterbodies and waterbody types can be obtained.
Advances on lake sturgeon
recovery potential in Canadian designatable units:
from allowable harm to recovery targets
Luis A. Vélez-Espino view
presentation (397 KB pdf) & Marten A. Koops
view
presentation (860 KB pdf) - Great lakes Laboratory
for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Fisheries and
Oceans Canada, Burlington, ON
Significant declines in the abundance of lake sturgeon
Acipenser fulvescens across most of its North American
range has led to abundances less than 10% of estimated
minimum sustainable population sizes and, in some
locations, less than 1% of historic abundances. These
precipitous declines in abundance have resulted in
most lake sturgeon populations being considered a
conservation concern and management actions toward
recovery. Here we present modelling in support of
a recovery potential assessment, using stage-structured
matrix models and population viability analysis, to
quantitatively assess allowable harm, to determine
population-based recovery targets, recovery efforts,
probabilities of recovery, recovery timeframes, and
to estimate required habitat for viable populations
in lotic environments. From this assessment we conclude
that lake sturgeon populations are most sensitive
to harm on adult survival and that some designatable
units are highly sensitive to any level of harm. However,
the scope for recovering lake sturgeon by improving
adult survival is limited; instead, larger proportional
increases in population growth rates can be achieved
by focusing recovery efforts on age-0 and juvenile
survival. Our analyses indicate that the number of
annually spawning females in discrete populations,
representative of designatable units, should be between
264 and 586 for a 99% probability of persistence over
250 years or 1 188 for a 99% probability of persistence
over 40 generations. The required habitat to harbour
all life stages in viable populations ranges from
974 to 1 886 hectares when using the 250-year criterion.
Age-0 individuals would require on average 2.3% of
the total area of required habitat, juveniles 45.3%,
and adults 52.3%. Required habitat for lake sturgeon
populations in lentic environments is expected to
be approximately twice as large as in lotic environments.
In Situ Assessment of Lampricide
Toxicity to Age-0 Lake Sturgeon- view
presentation (1.07 MB pdf)
Lisa O’Connor, Fisheries and Oceans
Canada, Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Larval sea lampreys are controlled in streams by
a chemical larvicide 3-triflouromethyl-4-nitrophenol
(TFM). Laboratory and field exposure tests on caged
sturgeon have demonstrated that TFM can also be toxic
to age-0 lake sturgeon (<123 mm). In 2008, we collected
age-0 lake sturgeon from the Mississagi and Au Sauble
Rivers (tributaries to Lake Huron) and, supplementing
with hatchery reared individuals, used radio telemetry
and caged animals to compare the survival of age-0
lake sturgeon to two TFM treatment regimes: a) Sturgeon
Protocol, 1.2 x MLC, a TFM treatment regime that is
designed to have reduced toxicity to age-0 lake sturgeon,
and b) Full Treatment Protocol, 1.4 x MLC the standard
TFM treatment for larval sea lampreys. The treatments,
on sections of the Mississagi River, were paired with
the Au Sauble River, our control stream. A total of
30 radio tagged age-0 lake sturgeon, 10 in both treatments
and 10 in the control, were released and 202 hatchery
reared age-0 lake sturgeon, 75 in 15 cages for each
lampricide application and 52 in 10 cages for the
control, were distributed throughout the systems.
Radio tagged fish ranged in size from 130 –
182 mm (total length), while caged sturgeon ranged
from 57 – 101 mm (total length). Survival rates
were the same for all three treatments, with an average
of 93% for the caged fish and 99% for the radio telemetry
fish. Overall, survival of age-0 hatchery <123
mm and age-0 native lake sturgeon was high for both
the Sturgeon and Full Protocol TFM treatment for larval
sea lampreys.
Assessment of a restoration
stocking program on Oneida Lake- view
presentation (3.10 MB pdf)
James R. Jackson, Thomas E. Brooking, and
Anthony J. VanDeValk, Cornell Biological Field Station,
Bridgeport, NY
As part of a lake sturgeon restoration program conducted
by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation
in the Lake Ontario watershed, nearly 8,000 fingerling
lake sturgeon have been stocked into Oneida Lake since
1995. A monitoring program conducted by the Cornell
Biological Field Station has indicated that sturgeon
stocked into Oneida Lake have exhibited extremely
high growth rates, with the largest fish captured
so far weighing in at over 32 kg in spring 2008. Diet
assessments show that amphipods and snails are the
most common food items of smaller juvenile sturgeon,
with zebra mussels becoming the dominant diet item
as sturgeon grow above 700 mm. Habitat selection,
based on gill net catches, show higher use of firm
substrates where zebra mussels have colonized the
lake. Mark-recapture data from standardized gill net
sampling during the 2002-2004 growing seasons were
collected from sturgeon from the 1995 stocking cohort
(initial stocking 5000 fish). While sample sizes were
low and confidence intervals large, data suggest that
as many as 40% of fish stocked in 1995 were present
in the lake in 2002. Ratios of captures of sturgeon
cohorts in gill net samples suggest that survival
is similar among all stocked year classes. Planning
is ongoing for initiation of a large-scale lake sturgeon
assessment in Oneida Lake and the Oswego River watershed
through the State Wildlife Grants Program. Study objectives
include telemetry of 100 fish in Oneida Lake to determine
more detailed habitat use patterns and attempt to
identify potential spawning sites in upstream tributaries.
Conservation Strategies
of Acipenseridae Species in the People’s Republic
of China- view
presentation (1.28 MB pdf)
Doug Aloisi, US Fish and Wildlife Service,
Genoa National Fish Hatchery, Genoa, WI
The People’s Republic of China is experiencing
unprecedented pressures to native flora and fauna
due to human influenced perturbations to aquatic systems.
These human induced changes include the construction
of the largest hydropower facility and dam in the
world, the Three Gorges Dam. A recent trip to the
Yangtze River in China and its existing sturgeon and
paddlefish conservation sites and ongoing Chinese
conservation efforts will be
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