The timing of sampling during 2011 was delayed and abbreviated due to a combination of logistic issues (e.g., travel restrictions, permitting). Additional and more intensive egg sampling (i.e., more mats and more frequent mat retrieval), in conjunction with acoustic tracking of adults should also focus on further evaluating the effects of salmonid-focused flow augmentations on white sturgeon spawning and recruitment. Queries should be directed to the corresponding authors for the article. Shaded areas represent the timing of sampling activities for each respective sampling area. (see Supplemental Material, Reference S2, Early life stage mortality rates of lake sturgeon in the Peshtigo River, Wisconsin, North American Journal of Fisheries Management, First documented spawning of white sturgeon in the lower Willamette River, Oregon, The reproductive condition of white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus, in San Francisco Bay, California, A riparian habitat hypothesis for successful reproduction of white sturgeon, Sturgeon fishes: developmental biology and aquaculture, 2013 Sturgeon fishing report card: preliminary data report, California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Larval sampling should be conducted in various water-year types and across various water management scenarios in order to inform evaluation of the quantity and suitability of available spawning and rearing habitat and verify hatching success. DuBois J, Harris MD, Mauldin J. Found at DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3996/092015-JFWM-092.S6 (1932 KB PDF). We visually inspected egg mats for eggs at least twice per week at each site during each sample season. Recipient(s) will receive an email with a link to 'White Sturgeon Spawning in the San Joaquin River, California, and Effects of Water Management' and will not need an account to access the content. We defined a spawning event as any viable fertilized eggs collected within a 10-km distance and within a 21-h oviposition period. Both rivers are tributaries to the San Joaquin River in the vicinity of the study area, and the reservoir releases were intended to increase survival of emigrating juvenile salmonids. While several researchers have speculated that sturgeons may spawn within the San Joaquin River during high streamflow conditions (Kohlhorst 1976; Beamesderfer et al.

California Fish Species - University of California Davis. Sacramento, California: State Water Resources Control Board. An increase in streamflow is believed to be an important cue for migration and spawning of white sturgeon within various watersheds (Hildebrand et al. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 7(1):171-180; e1944-687X. Genomic Variation Lab, Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA, Environmental Affairs Department, Idaho Power Company, Boise, ID, USA, Ministry of Environment, Aquatic Science Section, University of BC, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Spokane, WA, USA, U.S. Geological Survey Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory, Cook, WA, USA, Codfather Fisheries Consulting, Coeur d’ Alene, ID, USA, Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, Bonners, Ferry, ID, USA. We classified 86% (n = 19) of the eggs as viable; mean egg length and width ranged from 3.26–3.57 mm and 3.02–3.34 mm, respectively (Table 2). We set egg mats in pairs and predominantly deployed them in areas of accelerating velocity (i.e., areas flanking the deepest portions of pools).

Confirmed Observation: A North American Green Sturgeon Within the San Francisco Estuary, the presence and spawning of both white sturgeon and green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) have been well documented by researchers in the Sacramento River (Kohlhorst 1976; Schaffter 1997; DuBois et al.

The disease has a prolonged course with chronic lethargy and cessation of feeding, leading to emaciation and high mortality in young sturgeon ( Adkison et al., 1998; Hedrick et al., 1990; LaPatra et al., 1994 ). Although we likely experienced egg loss before mat retrieval, our results provide critical evidence of spawning activity in an area thought to be rarely, if ever, used. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Despite much lower than average streamflow during early 2012, we observed at least six spawning events, demonstrating that spawning also occurs in dry years.

Although embryos were exposed to unfavorable temperatures during the spawning and incubation period in 2012, we observed no obvious signs of deformities at the stages of embryonic development in any viable eggs that were collected. Scientific Name: Acipenser transmontanus Taxonomy Group: Fishes COSEWIC Range: British Columbia COSEWIC Assessment Date and Status Change: November 2012 COSEWIC Status: Endangered COSEWIC Status Criteria: A3bc+4bc; C1+2a(ii); E COSEWIC Reason for Designation: This large-bodied fish occurs at a small number of locations (5) in … 2013 Sturgeon fishing report card: preliminary data report. Deep hooking, landing success and gear loss using inline and offset circle and J hooks when bait fishing for white sturgeon. Researchers (e.g., Kohlhorst 1976; Schaffter 1997) have speculated that the presence of white sturgeon in the San Joaquin River was a result of fish on a spawning migration during years with high runoff (i.e., wet water-year types). In the present study, we documented white sturgeon spawning in the San Joaquin River in 2011 as flood flows receded.

White sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) egg data from 2011 and 2012 San Joaquin River spawning survey collections. They placed suspected sturgeon and unidentified eggs in vials of 95% ethanol for species confirmation and evaluation of developmental stage and viability in the laboratory (Table S2, Supplemental Material).

Identifying suitable spawning habitat for white sturgeon will help inform future water management decisions and habitat protection and restoration actions needed to maintain or increase the white sturgeon population within the San Joaquin River and San Francisco Estuary. 2008). 2004). 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. Acipenser medirostris Float line length varied depending on water depth and velocity. Efforts to preserve WS populations include annual monitoring, harvest restrictions, habitat restoration, and conservation aquaculture. Egg collections on April 19 (rkm 137.6) and May 10 (rkm 137.4; rkm 139.8) occurred when recorded hourly water temperatures during the incubation period were 18.6 to 20.9°C and 19.9 to 22.1°C, respectively. White sturgeon range from Alaska to Baja California, are most-concentrated in the San Francisco Estuary, and spawn mostly in the Sacramento River. Auer (1996) observed increases in spawning activity of lake sturgeon concomitant with a change in water management operations on the Sturgeon River, Michigan, from a peaking operation to releasing near–run-of-river flows. 2012. Spawning surveys in 2011 and 2012 occurred during two drastically different water-year types. However, streamflow levels in 2012 were generally half or less than the 20-y average. We deployed egg mats at river depths ranging from 0.4 to 9.3 m for a total of 670.9 wmd among four sites (Table 1). 2006). Sample date and location (river kilometer [rkm]), the number of collected eggs, percentage of collected eggs that were viable upon collection, length (mean ± SD) and width (mean ± SD) of eggs, number of spawning events, estimated timing of fertilization, and developmental stages represented by each egg collection are presented. Panel A shows the northern San Joaquin Valley of California and the main tributaries to the San Joaquin River. A non‐invasive approach to enumerating White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus Richardson, 1863) using side‐scan sonar. Considered the largest North American freshwater fish, some WS use estuarine habitat and make limited marine movements between river basins. The river flows through 531 km of California, first west toward the floor of the Central Valley, then north toward the San Francisco Bay estuary, eventually reaching the Pacific Ocean (Figure 1A). Hourly temperatures during the incubation period of egg collections on April 19 (rkm 137.6) and May 10 (rkm 137.4; rkm 139.8) ranged from 18.6 to 20.9°C and 19.9 to 22.1°C, respectively (Figure 2). 2015). Water temperatures during the incubation period ranged from 14.6 to 15.8°C and were consistent with optimal white sturgeon spawning temperatures observed on the Columbia and Sacramento rivers, 10 to 18°C and 14 to16°C, respectively (Kohlhorst 1976; Parsley et al. Data include sampling location given as river kilometer (rkm), dates, effort by site (wetted mat days and percentage of total annual effort), river depth, streamflow, and temperature. (see Supplemental Material, Reference S5, Tank spawning of first generation domestic green sturgeon, Induced spawning, artificial fertilization, and egg incubation techniques for green sturgeon, Effect of temperature on early development of white and lake sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus and A. fulvescens, Influence of temperature on yolk utilization by the white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus, This site uses cookies. Current monitoring efforts include describing available habitat (e.g., depth, substrate, velocity) within the San Joaquin River (Z.J. Data include sampling date and location (river kilometer [rkm]), minimum (min) and maximum (max) egg diameter measurements, calculated spawning date and time (hour), the estimated number of spawning events (events), and egg developmental stage assignments. 2004), spawning has not been confirmed through any direct sampling activities and researchers know little about the spatial and temporal distribution of sturgeons within the San Joaquin River system. Learn more. 1996), yet we collected only 3–5 eggs from half of the 2012 spawning events. Wang et al. Sample effort consisted of the time between gear deployment and retrieval and is standardized into wetted mat days (wmd; i.e., one egg mat set for 24 h). Additionally, the extent of the time between the occurrence of a spawning event and egg mat retrieval likely resulted in increased egg loss. Fish biologists previously only knew San Francisco Estuary white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) to spawn in the Sacramento River, California. Beamesderfer R, Simpson M, Kopp G, Inman J, Fuller A, Demko D. 2004.