A model to locate potential areas for lake sturgeon spawning habitat construction in the St. Clair–Detroit River System

Bennion, David; Manny, Bruce A.

doi:10.1016/j.jglr.2014.02.002

Cited by 26 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…This previously unused site was chosen because of its location in the relatively unpolluted headwaters of the Detroit River and the presence of suitable water velocity [e.g., 0.37‐0.80 m/s based on LaHaye et al., ()]. Site selection was based on a hydrodynamic geospatial model used to locate deep, fast‐flowing areas (Bennion & Manny, ). The selection of substrates was based on the previous identification of large broken limestone (Bruch & Binkowski, ), rounded igneous rock (Manny et al., ), and coal cinders (Thomas and Haas, , 2002) as suitable substrates (see Tables and ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

If you build it, will they come? Spawning habitat remediation for sturgeon

et al. 2017

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Summary Habitat loss is a widely recognized contributor to global declines in sturgeon populations yet habitat remediation has been limited for this highly endangered group of fish. In support of future sturgeon restoration efforts, this review examines habitat remediation needs and uncertainties. Consideration of the bio‐spatial scale of remediation identified needs ranging from local to the whole river scale. Additionally, the context of remediation ranges from reintroducing sturgeon to habitats where they have been extirpated to conservation of currently functional habitat. While multiple remediation scales and contexts are discussed, the focus on spawning and early rearing habitat and associated biological and physical monitoring reflects the range of current projects and the importance of early rearing habitats. Four case studies are presented that examine four distinct remediation contexts (mitigation, rejuvenation, re‐creation, repatriation) and three bio‐spatial scales (whole river, spawning reach, spawning location) under which remediation has been attempted. Evaluation of existing remediation works indicates that many show limited long‐term success, which is most often a response to substrate infilling in remediated habitats. Material presented in this review will help align sturgeon research and monitoring approaches in support of effective remediation. The limited number of remediation projects to‐date attests to the importance of learning from existing projects and cross‐species comparisons, to maximize the effectiveness of future restoration efforts.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

If you build it, will they come? Spawning habitat remediation for sturgeon

et al. 2017

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“…Rather, we believe the amount and location of this habitat in relation to sources of young Lake Sturgeon shape early behavior and distribution by influencing larval drift and subsequent survival. Given the importance of early life stage success in the recovery of Lake Sturgeon, future work should focus on linking available HSMs that are designed to identify candidate sites for spawning habitat in multiple rivers (such as the one developed for our study system by Bennion and Manny ) to models that have been developed for identifying nursery areas. By understanding the connectivity between stages of early life development, we can better understand the effects of proposed restoration activities and identify ongoing impediments to stock recovery.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation and Comparison of a Habitat Suitability Model for Postdrift Larval Lake Sturgeon in the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers

Krieger

Young

Diana

2018

N American J Fish Manag

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We evaluated composition and spatial distribution of riverine nursery habitat for larval Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens in the Middle Channel of the St. Clair River, Michigan, and Fighting Island Channel of the Detroit River, Ontario, using a habitat suitability model (HSM) and fish collections. Although model outputs indicated similar portions of high‐quality habitat in the Middle Channel (16.9%) and Fighting Island Channel (15.7%), larval abundance and dispersal patterns varied between these systems. Analysis with Akaike's information criterion indicated that a regression model using sand–silt substrate performed best at predicting the observed water‐volume‐standardized CPUE (number of larvae·h−1·m−3) in the Middle Channel. Of 93 larvae that were collected in the Middle Channel, most were found to cluster at three distinct areas of high‐ and moderate‐quality habitat, which was composed predominately of sand–silt substrate. Lengths of larvae varied by as much as 9 mm, and the degree of yolk sac absorption also varied, indicating that larvae in the Middle Channel remained within the channel after a short drift downstream. Of the 25 larvae that were collected in Fighting Island Channel, distribution was sporadic, and occurrence did not significantly correlate with measured habitat variables. Larvae were relatively homogeneous in size and yolk sac stage, indicating that newly emerged larvae did not utilize available habitat in Fighting Island Channel but instead drifted into the main channel of the Detroit River. Dispersal patterns indicate variability in young Lake Sturgeon ecology, which is dependent on local habitat conditions—most notably, substrate composition. Furthermore, modeled larval–habitat associations found in this study were compared to a similar study on larval Lake Sturgeon from the North Channel of the St. Clair River. Model outputs from all three systems accurately accounted for observed larval dispersal patterns among both rivers. This supports the transferability of an HSM parameterized for Lake Sturgeon from individual river reaches within two large river systems.

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“…This finding, and additional reports of successful spawning by lake sturgeon on artificial spawning substrates in other large rivers (Bruch and Binkowski, 2002;Johnson and others, 2006;Dumont and others, 2011), prompted reef construction projects at Belle Isle (2004) andFighting Island (2008) in the Detroit River (Manny, 2006;Manny and others, 2015) and in the Middle Channel Saint Clair River (2012) and at Pointe aux Chenes (2014) near Algonac, Michigan, in the Saint Clair River (Read and Manny, 2014;Manny and others, 2015) to address restoration needs. Combined, these projects created new, rocky substrate over 8,400 square meters (m 2 ) of river bottom in areas with suitable physical condition; for example, current velocities ≥0.5 meter per second (m/s), depth greater than the photic zone of about 4.5 meters (m), and sufficient distance from shipping channels (Bennion and Manny, 2014) . Spawning responses of lake sturgeon and other fish species to these artificial spawning beds has been monitored with an intensive egg sampling program started by the U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center (USGS-GLSC) since the onset of the restoration program.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Egg deposition by lithophilic-spawning fishes in the Detroit and Saint Clair Rivers, 2005–14

Prichard¹,

Craig²,

Roseman³

et al. 2017

Scientific Investigations Report

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For more information on the USGS-the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment-visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS.For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://store.usgs.gov.Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner.Suggested citation: Prichard, C.G., Craig, J.M., Roseman, E.F., Fischer, J.L., Manny, B.A., and Kennedy, G.W., 2017 Rivers was summarized to identify where productive fish spawning habitat currently exists. Egg mats were placed on the river bottom during the spring and fall at historic spawning areas and candidate fish spawning habitat restoration sites throughout both rivers. Widespread evidence was found of lithophilic spawning by numerous native fish species, including walleye (Sander vitreus), lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), suckers (Catostomidae spp.), and trout-perch (Percopsis omiscomaycus). Walleye, lake whitefish, and suckers spp. spawned in nearly every region of each river in all years on both reef and nonreef substrates. Lake sturgeon eggs were collected almost exclusively over constructed reefs. Catch-per-unit effort of walleye, lake whitefish, and sucker eggs was much greater in the Detroit River than in the Saint Clair River, while Saint Clair River sites supported the greatest collections of lake sturgeon eggs. Collections during this study of lake sturgeon eggs on man-made spawning reefs suggest that artificial reefs may be an effective tool for restoring fish populations in the Detroit and Saint Clair Rivers; however, the quick response of lake sturgeon to spawn on newly constructed reefs and the fact that walleye, lake whitefish, and sucker eggs were often collected over substrate with little interstitial space to protect eggs from siltation and predators suggests that lack of suitable spawning habitat may continue to limit reproduction of lithophilicspawning fish species in the Saint Clair-Detroit River System.

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A model to locate potential areas for lake sturgeon spawning habitat construction in the St. Clair–Detroit River System

Cited by 26 publications

References 22 publications

If you build it, will they come? Spawning habitat remediation for sturgeon

If you build it, will they come? Spawning habitat remediation for sturgeon

Evaluation and Comparison of a Habitat Suitability Model for Postdrift Larval Lake Sturgeon in the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers

Egg deposition by lithophilic-spawning fishes in the Detroit and Saint Clair Rivers, 2005–14

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