A review of lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens spawning sites in the Lower St. Lawrence and Ottawa river systems |
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Affiliation: | 1. Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, 880 Chemin Sainte-Foy, Québec, QC G1S 4X4, Canada;2. Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, 201 Place Charles-Le Moyne, Longueuil, QC J4K 2T5, Canada;3. Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, 100 rue Laviolette, Trois-Rivières, QC G9A 5S9, Canada;4. Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, 100 boulevard Industriel, Repentigny, QC J6A 4X6, Canada;6. Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, 16 rue Impasse de la Gare-Talon, Gatineau, QC J8T 0B1, Canada;7. Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, 70 Avenue Québec, Rouyn-Noranda, QC J9X 6R1, Canada;8. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada;1. University at Buffalo, Graduate Program in Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, 602 Clemens Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA;2. Buffalo State College, Great Lakes Center, 1300 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, NY 14222, USA;3. University at Buffalo, Department of Geology, 126 Cooke Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA;1. Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;2. University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN 55812, USA;3. Fedwriters at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA;1. Center for Freshwater Research and Education, Lake Superior State University, 100 Salmon Run Way, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783, USA;2. School of Natural Resources & Environment, Lake Superior State University, 650 W. Easterday Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783, USA;3. Department of Biology, Coastal Carolina University, 107 Chanticleer Drive East, Conway, SC 29526, USA;1. Purdue University, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, 195 Marsteller Street, West Lafayette, IN 48105, USA;2. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 195 Marsteller Street, West Lafayette, IN 48105, USA;3. Tetra Tech, 10 Post Office Square, Suite 1100, Boston, MA 02109, USA;4. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 S. State Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48108-9719, USA;1. Department of Biology, University of Vermont, 109 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT 05405, USA;2. Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory, University of Vermont, 3 College Street, Burlington, VT 05401, USA;3. U.S. Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center, Lake Superior Biological Station, 2800 Lake Shore Drive East, Ashland, WI 54806, USA |
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Abstract: | Knowledge concerning critical habitats such as spawning sites is crucial to the preservation of vulnerable fish species like sturgeons. For lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens populations in the Lower St. Lawrence and Ottawa river systems, knowledge about spawning sites has been documented primarily in the grey literature, unpublished reports, or notes, with very little published in peer-reviewed literature. Here, we reviewed over 100 reports, articles, and unpublished observations in the Lower St. Lawrence and Ottawa river systems to synthesize available information concerning the location of lake sturgeon spawning sites, the level of spawning activity, and the methodologies used for assessments. In this review, 38 lake sturgeon spawning sites were identified. Of these sites, 11 were enhanced or artificially created for lake sturgeon. In the Lower St. Lawrence River, 68% of known spawning sites were located downstream from a dam compared to 47% in the Ottawa River. The use of the two artificially created spawning sites in the Lower St. Lawrence River has not yet been confirmed, while one site established in the Ottawa River has had confirmed spawning activity, although the spawning run size is unknown. In contrast, spawning has been confirmed for the seven natural spawning sites that have been artificially expanded in these systems, and two of these sites have large spawning runs. Information revealed by this review suggests that lake sturgeon populations in these large river systems rely on multiple spawning sites and that expanding natural spawning grounds may be more effective than creating new ones. |
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Keywords: | Lake sturgeon Spawning sites St. Lawrence River Ottawa River |
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