Quantitative assessment of benthic food resources for juvenile Gulf sturgeon,Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi in the Suwannee River estuary, Florida, USA

Estuaries ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 767-775 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Allen Brooks ◽  
Kenneth J. Sulak
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Assessment ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Food Resources ◽  
Gulf Sturgeon ◽  
Suwannee River ◽  
Acipenser Oxyrinchus Desotoi ◽  
Benthic Food ◽  
Acipenser Oxyrinchus

Anadromous Sturgeons: Habitats, Threats, and Management

2007 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
River Estuary ◽  
Upstream Migration ◽  
Movement Rates ◽  
Gulf Sturgeon ◽  
Suwannee River ◽  
Influence Of Temperature On ◽  
Acipenser Oxyrinchus Desotoi ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Acipenser Oxyrinchus ◽  
Ultrasonic Transmitters

<em>Abstract.—</em>Eighteen Gulf of Mexico sturgeon <em>Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi</em> netted at the mouth of the Suwannee River, Florida, in February–April 2001, were tagged with ultrasonic transmitters to examine riverine and estuarine movements. In addition, 30 fish (11 carrying ultrasonic transmitters) were fitted with archival temperature-logging tags to record temperatures encountered by Gulf sturgeon over the course of a year, including both their riverine and estuarine residency. Movement rates of Gulf sturgeon in the Suwannee River were greatest during the upstream migration in March and April 2001 (4.8 km/d) and upon their emigration from the river in September 2001 (6.4 and 16.0 km/d for males and females, respectively). Mean maximum distance that fish were relocated upstream was significantly greater for male Gulf sturgeon (165 km) than for females (126 km). This may relate to female Gulf sturgeon not spawning annually and thus not migrating to putative spawning grounds upriver. In contrast, rates of upstream movement did not differ significantly between sexes. Movements in the nearshore regions of the Suwannee River estuary did not differ between males and females (0.8 and 2.2 km/d, respectively), and was much lower than in the river. Three Gulf sturgeon bearing archival temperature tags were recovered in subsequent netting activities in 2002. Data downloaded from the tags demonstrated that on average Gulf sturgeon were exposed to a 13°C annual flux in temperature, ranging from 26°C in the river during the summer to 13°C in the estuary in the winter, although individual fish experienced as much as a 20°C range (8.1–28.5°C) over the course of a year. Given the influence of temperature on the metabolism of ectotherms such as sturgeon, this broad fluctuation in temperature may have profound implications for the bioenergetics, and hence growth and reproduction, of Gulf sturgeon.

Anadromous Sturgeons: Habitats, Threats, and Management

2007 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
River Flow ◽  
High Flow ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Strength Index ◽  
Gulf Sturgeon ◽  
Suwannee River ◽  
Class Strength ◽  
Acipenser Oxyrinchus Desotoi ◽  
Acipenser Oxyrinchus

<em>Abstract.</em>—A 19-year mark–recapture database was used to estimate yearly recruitment of Gulf sturgeon <em>Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi</em> in the Suwannee River, Florida, using a length–age equation derived from known-age fish. Yearly recruitment information was then transformed into a relative year-class strength index, which was analyzed against monthly river flow. Recruitment was positively correlated with high monthly mean flow in September and December. It is postulated that the correlation is the result of increased survival of late-winter estuarine-feeding age-0 juveniles during high-flow years.

SURGICAL REMOVAL OF CATARACTS DUE TO DIPLOSTOMUM SPECIES IN GULF STURGEON (ACIPENSER OXYRINCHUS DESOTOI)

2005 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 504-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert S. Bakal ◽  
Brian H. Hickson ◽  
Brian C. Gilger ◽  
Michael G. Levy ◽  
James R. Flowers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Removal ◽  
Gulf Sturgeon ◽  
Acipenser Oxyrinchus Desotoi ◽  
Acipenser Oxyrinchus

Biology, Management, and Protection of North American Sturgeon

2002 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
River System ◽  
Ultrasonic Telemetry ◽  
Marine Habitat ◽  
Gulf Sturgeon ◽  
Sandy Substrate ◽  
Sampling Locations ◽  
Acipenser Oxyrinchus Desotoi ◽  
Acipenser Oxyrinchus

Abstract.<em>—</em>Although most species of anadromous sturgeons worldwide are threatened with extinction, information on the estuarine and marine components of their life history is generally lacking. During March 1997 to July 1999, we used ultrasonic telemetry to examine estuarine and marine habitat use of adult Gulf sturgeon <em>Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi</em> from the Choctawhatchee Bay/River System, Florida. During winter and spring, telemetered Gulf sturgeon were distributed nonrandomly within Choctawhatchee Bay, with most relocations in nearshore areas 2–4 m deep. Within the bay, Gulf sturgeon occasionally moved long distances but usually remained in localized areas (<1 km<sup>2</sup>) for several weeks. Areas where Gulf sturgeon remained for prolonged periods were characterized by sandy substrate harboring a benthic community dominated by crustaceans and annelids. A majority of male Gulf sturgeon remained exclusively in Choctawhatchee Bay during the winter and spring. In contrast, a majority of females during this time were either relocated in the Gulf of Mexico or were absent at sampling locations, having last been detected at bay entrances. Declines in habitat quality in Choctawhatchee Bay and the Gulf of Mexico may hinder recovery of this species, since adult Gulf sturgeon rely on these areas for nourishment during periods of gonadal growth.

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