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Reviving the Lake Sturgeon in the Lake Champlain Watershed
Sarah Donelson Nick Costello Catriona Brosius Devon Snyder
http://www.thousandislandslife.com/Portals/Properties/images/News-Articles/2009/Jan-photos/WLW-TheCaseoftheVanishingSturgeon_126C2-LakeSturgeon780_thumb.jpg
Problem Statement
Many human-induced environmental factors such as habitat degradation, introduction of invasive species, and historic fishing pressures have lead to the decline of the lake sturgeon population within the Lake Champlain basin.
Goal/PurposeResearch and compile information about
lake sturgeon in the Lake Champlain watershed
Determine primary stressorsMake recommendations based on
gathered data
Objectives1.) Assess the feasibility of improving the lake
sturgeon stocking program in Lake Champlain
2.) Understand negative effects of predatory and competitive species on lake sturgeon
3.) Identify historical densities, locations, and uses of lake sturgeon
4.) Based on current and historical occurrence of lake sturgeon, understand how habitat loss has affected the Lake Champlain population
It is an ancient family of fish: having been around since the Upper Cretaceous period (136 million years ago)
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGC/StaticFiles/Images/Show/43xx/432x/4321_Hooked_Monster_Fish_of_America-01_04700300.JPG
http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/images/2007/06/13/dinosaur.jpg
http://vindyame2008.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/dinosaur-printable-invitation2.jpghttp://vindyame2008.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/dinosaur-printable-invitation2.jpg
Can grow to over 7 ft long and over 300 pounds
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bethelhistorical.org/Indians%2520boiling%2520sap,%2520etc..
Fishing History Early 1800:
sturgeon viewed as nuisance species
Mid-Late 1800: heavily fished
1900 – 1970: little known, other than that populations all over were declining
jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bethelhistorical.org/A_River%27s_Journey.html&usg=__QzzvDWF-Vy92Z2G7qAV7nEyoxKk=&h=1050&w=800&sz=236&hl=en&start=4&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=7FvGnlsw5daVIM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=114&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlake%2Bsturgeon%2Babenaki%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1
Life cycle Sexual maturity is reached at ages
14 to 33 for females, and ages 12 to 22 for males
Females spawn once every 4 to 9 years
Males spawn once every 2 to 7 years
Spawning occurs on clean, gravel shoals usually below the first large rapid or dam
Life span can reach around 55 years for males and 80 to 150 years for females
http://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity/phenology/2003/lake_sturgeon2003_01_gf.jpg
Habitat Loss
Requirements of Spawning Grounds
Temperature between 6.6˚ and 16˚ C
Water Depth between 2 and 15 Ft
Water Velocity between 1.6 and 3.5 Ft/Sec
Substrate consisting of mostly gravel and cobbles
Current Suitable Sturgeon Habitat in VTMissisquoi River
Lamoille River
Winooski River
Spawning ProcessSturgeon find appropriate spawning
grounds
Lay eggs which adhere to rocks
7 to 13 days later, eggs hatch
Fry drift for sometimes even a few kilometers before landing in spaces between rocks on the river bed
(Auer 1996)
Dams
Sturgeon cannot jumpDams and Natural Waterfalls affect their ability
to find suitable spawning areas
Although they can swim over 1,000 kilometers, stream obstructions make this impossible
Swanton Dam in Swanton Vermont
Located on the Missisquoi River
Restored in 1960’s
Highland Falls, upstream of Swanton Dam
Potentially harmful to the spawning process
Images from: http://www.lciderby.com/userfiles/swanton-dam.jpg
Invasive and Nuisance Species
Sea Lamprey
Zebra Mussels
Sea Lamprey(Petromyzon marinus)
ParisiticDirect and indirect mortality
of troutLake sturgeon mortality?
Lamprey and Sturgeon
Locations and frequency of sea lamprey attachments on four class sizes of lake sturgeon
Fork Length (FL)
Class Size Direct Mortality(%)
Indirect Mortality (%)
I 11 11
II 31 19
III 8 8
IV 0 0
Effects of Parasitism
Direct and indirect mortality
Class IV : all survivedSmaller, young sturgeon most affectedAbove a 650 mm FL, “lethality from a sea
lamprey attack declines substanitally” (Patrick et al. 2009)
Sea Lamprey
Control StrategiesBarriers Trapping adultsLampricide during larval stage:
3-triflouromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) Minimum lethal concentration (MLC) No-observable effect concentration (NOEC) Effect on young sturgeon
TFM Toxicity
Zebra Mussels
Mussels cover hard and soft sediments
Affect sturgeon feedingBlock access to
invertebrates in sand
The foraging habits of lake sturgeon in a controlled environment. Black: 95% zebra mussel cover treatment, Grey: 50% mussel coverWhite: bare sand.
Zebra Mussel
Young-of-the-year sturgeonSandy bottom preferredZebra mussel cover avoided
Observations of sturgeon in various habitat types.
Nuisance species: summaryLamprey parasitism:
mortality in juvenile sturgeon
Lampricide: mortality in juveniles
Zebra mussles: (-) block access to food
for juvenile sturgeon(+) Food source for
adults
Stocking
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.fws.gov/ennis/images/fish_stocking_400.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.fws.gov/ennis/&usg=__PfD1Z3G3C4AiiNtRDX0Ice_XKY=&h=300&w=400&sz=29&hl=en&start=43&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=7eOdi307NEg4GM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dstocking%2Bfish%26start%3D36%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefoxa%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26ndsp%3D18%26tbs%3Disch:1
Stocking Issues
Introduction of new genetic strains
Healthier stocked populationsCompetition
Hybridization or Outbreeding Depression
http://www.briancoad.com/ncr/NCRPics/lake_sturgeonNY%20State.jpg
Stocking Feasibility
Study conducted for Lake Champlain in 1994Natural reproduction would not be enoughSuggested stocking
A 1995 review group gathered to evaluate planSuggested a survey of current population be
conducted before stocking implementationStill collecting data in Vermont with no
stocking plan in place
New York Stocking Program
Occurring in selected tributaries of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario
Limited data currently available
Recommendations
Continue monitoring and collecting data but at this point, do not stock in Lake Champlain
Lower concentrations of lampricide, use TFM-niclosamide
Removal of habitat obstacles
If eventually it is possible to stock with the native genome, then establish a stocking program
Acknowledgments
Thanks to:
Ellen Marsden of UVM
Chet MacKenzie of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department
Louise and Larry Lampman of the Missisquoi Abenaki
ORDER Introduce Paper -Nick
Problem Statement -Nick
Goal/Purpose -Devon
Objectives -Catriona
History -Nick
Habitat Loss -Catriona
Invasives -Devon
Stocking -Sarah
Recommendations -Sarah
Acknowledgments -Sarah
Literature Cited Auer, Nancy A. “Importance of Habitat and Migration to Sturgeons with Emphasis on Lake Sturgeon.” Canadian Journal of Fisheries
and Aquatic Sciences 53.1 (1996): 152-160. Web. 22 Mar. 2010. Baker, Chris. 2007. Case for removing the swanton dam and restoring fish passage. Lake Barth, C.C.; Peake, S.J.; Allen, P.J.; Anderson, W.G. “Habitat Utilization of Juvenile Lake Sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens, in a Large
Canadian River.” Journal of Applied Ichthyology 25.2 (2009): 18-26. Web. 19 Mar. 2010. Boogaard, Michael A., Terry D. Bills, David A. Johnson. 2003. Acute toxicity of TFM and a TFM/Niclosamide mixtre to selected
species of fish, including Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvenscens) and mudpuppies (Necturus maculosus), in laboratory and field exposures. Journal of Great Lakes Research 29(Supplement 1):529-541.
Bowers, M. George. Report of the Commissioner, United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries. 1905. Washington. Champlain
International. <http://www.lciderby.com>. Christie, G. C., J. V. Adams, T. B. Steeves, J. W. Slade, D. W.Cuddy, M. F. Fodale, R. J. Young, M. Kuc, and M. L. Jones.. 2003.
Selecting Great Lakes streams for lampricide treatment ased on larval sea lamprey surveys. Journal of Great Lakes Research 29(Supplement 1):152–160.
Conservation. 2010. <http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/26045.html>. Ethers, James. 2009. Missisquoi – Swanton Revitalization. Petition. <http://www.PetitionOnline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?
swanton9>. Lake Sturgeon Restocking Program Considered. Harbor Watch. 2009. <http://www.harborwatch.com/news/sturgeon.htm>. Lake Sturgeon Restoration. New York State Department of Environmental Laroche, Wayne. “Remove the Swanton Dam: Bring Back The Fish.” Commissioner, VT Department of Fish and Wildlife. Accessed
via: <http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/calendaritems/Swanton_Dam.pdf> 21 Mar. 2010. Lyttle, Madeline. “Spawning Habitat Suitability for Walleye and Lake Sturgeon in the Missisquoi River.” Fishery Biologist, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Services. Accessed via: <http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/library/Reports_and_Documents/Fish_and_Wildlife/Spawning_Habitat_Suitability_for_Walleye_and_Lake_Sturgeon_in_the_Missisquoi_River.pdf> on 21 Mar. 2010.
Continued Lake Sturgeon Restoration. New York State Department of Environmental Laroche, Wayne. “Remove the Swanton Dam: Bring Back The Fish.” Commissioner, VT Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Accessed via: <http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/calendaritems/Swanton_Dam.pdf> 21 Mar. 2010. Lyttle, Madeline. “Spawning Habitat Suitability for Walleye and Lake Sturgeon in the Missisquoi River.” Fishery
Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. Accessed via: <http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/library/Reports_and_Documents/Fish_and_Wildlife/Spawning_Habitat_Suitability_for_Walleye_and_Lake_Sturgeon_in_the_Missisquoi_River.pdf> on 21 Mar. 2010.
McCabe, D.J., M.A. Beekey, A. Mazloff, and J.E. Marsden. 2006. Negative effect of zebra mussels on foraging and habitat use by lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens). Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 16:493-500.
Moreau, D. L. and D. L. Parrish. 1994. A study of the feasibility of restoring lake Champlain Patrick, Holly K., Trent M. Sutton, and William D. Swink. 2009. Lethality of sea lamprey parasitism on lake sturgeon.
Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 138:1065-1075. Peterson, Douglas L.; Vecsei, Paul; Jennings, Cecil A. “Ecology and Biology of the Lake Sturgeon: A Synthesis of Current
Knowledge of a Threatened North American Acipenseridae.” Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 17 (2007) 59-76 web. 20 Mar. 2010.
Stone, Livingstone. 1901. “On the spawing habits of lake sturgeon”. Biennial report of the Fish Commissioners of the
State of Vermont. Vol. 11-18. sturgeon to Lake Champlain. Technical Report No. 9. Lake Champlain Basin Program, Grand Isle, VT. Zerrenner, Adam and J. Ellen Marsden. 2006. Comparison of larval sea lamprey life history characteristics in a
lampricide-treated tributary and untreated tributary system of Lake Champlain. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 135:1301-1311.
Works CitedSlides 17, 18, and 21: Photo and graphic: Sea lamprey and sea lamprey life
cycle. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6998.html
Slide 18: Photo: Sea lamprey. Minnesota Sea Grant. http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/ais/sealamprey_battle
Slide 19: Image: Sturgeon size classes. Patrick, Holly et al. Lethality of sea lamprey parasitism on lake sturgeon. 2009. American Fisheries Society.
Slide 19: Image: Fish measurements. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Education/Diagrams/FishDimensions.html
Slide 17: Photo: Zebra mussels. http://www.geog.ubc.ca/courses/geog471/classof08/aisca/intro.html
Slide 22, 23: Zebra mussel effects on sturgeon and Sturgeon habitat type chart. McCabe, D.J., M.A. Beekey, A. Mazloff, and J.E. Marsden. 2006. Negative effect of zebra mussels on foraging and habitat use by lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens). Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 16:493-500.
Slide 24: Photo: Juvenile Sturgeon. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bayviewcompass/2888180529/
Slide 25: McDonald, Gordon D. and Cynthia S. Kolar. 2007. Research and Guide the Use of Lampricides for controlling Sea Lamprey. Journal of Great Lakes Research. 33(sp 2):20-34.