Documentation of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescensRafinesque, 1817) recovery and spawning success from a restored population in the Mississippi River, Missouri, USA

Abstract

Summary Lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens are considered rare and were nearly extirpated in the Mississippi River in Missouri by 1931 as a result of overfishing and habitat fragmentation. Propagation efforts have been implemented by the Missouri Department of Conservation since 1984 as means to restore the lake sturgeon population. Although recent population increases have been observed, a formalized evaluation to determine if lake sturgeon are self‐sustaining in the Missouri portion of the Mississippi River has not been completed. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to: (i) determine the proportion of reproductive individuals, (ii) evaluate seasonal movement patterns of adults, and (iii) validate purported spawning locations within the Mississippi River in Missouri. Lake sturgeon catch data indicated that approximately 11 percent of the population are reproductively mature. Additionally, telemetry data confirms that the greatest movement by adult lake sturgeon occurs during spring, which suggests spawning behavior. Finally, it was possible to document lake sturgeon embryos and emergent fry larvae below Melvin Price Locks and Dam 26 in the Upper Mississippi River near St. Louis, Missouri. Water velocity, depth, and substrate size were measured at this location and embryos were collected and hatched in the laboratory. River gage data suggest that spawning behavior may have been elicited by a large influx of water during a drawdown period of water above the dam. This study represents the first documented spawning of A. fulvescens in the Mississippi River and highlights the success of recovery efforts in Missouri.

Lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens and shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus environmental life history revealed using pectoral fin‐ray microchemistry: implications for interjurisdictional conservation through fishery closure zones

“…(), also demonstrated through telemetry techniques that upstream and downstream passage events depended on which pool the individual occupied in the UMR with the majority of upstream passages occurring in pools 20–22 and downstream passages occurring in pools 24–Chain of Rocks Weir (St Louis, MO). This separation potentially could be due to dams acting as barriers (as the number of dams increase, the probability of passage decreases), or proximity to spawning habitat given all sturgeon used in the analyses here were reproductive adults based on previous studies in the same area (Tripp et al ., ; Buszkiewicz et al ., ). The principal spawning areas may differ above and below lock and dam 21, with the influence of purported spawning areas in the UMR at lock and dam 19; Keokuk, IA, and in the MMR at Chain of Rocks Weir; St Louis, MO, and downstream of lock and dam 26; Alton, IL.…”

Effects of Latitude, Season, and Temperature on Lake Sturgeon Movement

“…The greatest movement rates for most populations occurred in May or June, coinciding with the Lake Sturgeon spawning periods from April to June (Bruch and Binkowski 2002; Friday 2007; Buszkiewicz et al. 2016; Dammerman et al. 2018).…”

Emerging threats and persistent conservation challenges for freshwater biodiversity

“…Overexploitation of organisms for consumption (primarily fishes, certain aquatic invertebrates) is another major driver of freshwater biodiversity loss (Dudgeon et al ., ; WWF, ; He et al ., ), which has long been recognised (Allan et al ., ; Pikitch et al ., ) and in some areas curtailed (Buszkiewicz et al ., ). Overexploitation includes both targeted harvest and mortalities through bycatch.…”