Biological Cycles and Migrations of Acipenser sturio

Acolas, Marie‐Laure; Castelnaud, Gérard; Lepage, Mario; Rochard, Éric

doi:10.1007/978-3-642-20611-5_10

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Atlantic and European sturgeons are large and long‐lived fishes. Both species are anadromous, spending several years at sea before maturing and returning to their riverine spawning grounds (Smith & Clugston, ; Acolas et al ., ). During the marine phase, they may undertake long coastal migrations, up to thousands of kilometres (Rochard et al ., ; Erickson et al ., ), but both species exhibit strong homing behaviour and usually return to their natal rivers for spawning (King et al ., ; Williot et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

The history of sturgeon in the Baltic Sea

Popović

Panagiotopoulou

Baca

et al. 2014

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim Migrants of the Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus, from North America are thought to have founded the Baltic sturgeon population during the Little Ice Age around 1200 years ago, replacing the European sturgeon, Acipenser sturio. To test this hypothesis and to further elucidate the colonization of the Baltic Sea by A. oxyrinchus, we carried out DNA analyses of ancient and contemporary populations of both species. Location We analysed DNA from 188 specimens of sturgeons collected from archaeological sites and museums in Poland and of 225 contemporary specimens from North American and European populations. Methods Several mitochondrial DNA fragments were sequenced and eight microsatellite loci were genotyped for species identification, polymorphism and population structure analyses. Approximate Bayesian computation was used to estimate when the Baltic Sea was colonized. Results Of 125 ancient sturgeon specimens from the Baltic Sea, only four were classified as A. sturio, the remainder being A. oxyrinchus oxyrinchus. The ancient A. o. oxyrinchus population over two different time periods was highly polymorphic and genetically distant from contemporary populations of this taxon. The time of entry into the Baltic Sea was estimated to be 4000–5000 years ago. We also detected introgression of A. sturio into the A. o. oxyrinchus gene pool, caused by a prior hybridization event. Main conclusions For the past 2000 years at least, A. o. oxyrinchus has been the dominant sturgeon in the Baltic Sea, indicating a much earlier origin than previously suggested. The most similar extant sturgeon populations to the extinct Baltic stock are those from the St John and St Lawrence rivers in Canada. These populations should be considered the best source of breeding material for the ongoing sturgeon restitution programmes in Poland and Germany.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

The history of sturgeon in the Baltic Sea

Popović

Panagiotopoulou

Baca

et al. 2014

Journal of Biogeography

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“…The European sturgeon, Acipenser sturio (Linnaeus, 1758) is a critically endangered migratory species (Lepage and Rochard 1995;Lassalle et al 2010;Chassaing et al 2016) which is currently the subject of a European recovery plan (Rosenthal et al 2007), along with national action plans in France (MEDDTL 2011) and in Germany . The species has a complex life cycle involving migration periods associated with habitat shifts (Castelnaud et al 1991;Rochard et al 2001;Acolas et al 2011aAcolas et al , 2012. The reproduction occurs in rivers between May and June, following which juveniles migrate to estuaries in the first year of their life.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

European sturgeon (Acipenser sturio L.) young of the year performance in different rearing environments –study within a stocking program

2016

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The European sturgeon is critically endangered and the French ex-situ conservation approach involves developing a captive stock to produce offspring for release to boost natural populations. The purpose of our study was to assess the effects of rearing environment before stocking on the survival, growth, and behavior of threemonth-old sturgeons from two different crossings. Enriched rearing was designed to mimic the variability of the natural environment using river water, natural photoperiod, substrate, variable water current and depths. Traditional rearing was carried out with bare tanks, underground water, dark conditions, without current and at constant depth. Fish survival was determined monthly and growth was estimated weekly. Behavior was assessed with exploration and novel prey tests in solitary using video tracking. Results demonstrated that enriched condition resulted in bigger fish from the first month. Growth curve analysis revealed that enriched environment made both fish crossings grow in a similar manner. In contrast, crossings growth differed in traditional rearing which may reflect a genotype-environment interaction. Behavioral data highlighted that enriched-reared fish were slower to explore a new environment but more individuals engaged on doing so than traditional-reared fish. Results also showed that survival was high (>80 %) during all the trial. However, survival was lower during the second month in enriched environment. Our findings advocate for the integration of enriched rearing practices within the juvenile production for release in order to boost the performance linked to fitness. Stocking practices and life history research must work together to favor adaptive aquaculture approaches, which support species conservation.

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“…However, this distribution in data raises the question as to whether the sturgeons' dominant occurrences in the Rhine-Meuse delta can be explained by their biology and ecology, an important part of their life cycle being spent in estuaries/delta areas (see e.g. Acolas et al 2011), or by a strong regional fisheries effort, or by both. Answering this question is critical in identifying which river sections were key to sturgeons, because this is of paramount importance for sturgeon habitat restoration and protection.…”

Section: Reproduction Grounds and Seasonmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Continuous sedimentation, creating environments of swampy creeks and islands provides no suitable spawning habitat for the European sturgeon, because this species requires deep, oxygenated, heterogenous gravel beds (Jego et al 2009). Moreover, the influx of brackish waters in the Rhine-Meuse delta would hamper the survival of larvae and young-of-the-year sturgeons that naturally move downstream and are unable to osmo-regulate in their first year (Acolas et al 2011). The area seems unsuitable for Atlantic sturgeon spawners as well, which prefer gravel for ease of attachment of the adhesive eggs and for the interstitial spaces providing refuge for the larvae, although they may use sandier or even siltier substrates, but not pure mud (Bain et al 2000;Sulak et al 2016).…”

Section: Spawning Groundsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical reconstruction of sturgeon (Acipenser spp.) spatiotemporal distribution and causes for their decline in North-Western Europe

et al. 2022

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This study aims to reconstruct the historical spatiotemporal distribution of the anadromous sturgeons, Acipenser sturio and A. oxyrinchus, in NW-Europe (especially in the Rhine, Meuse, Scheldt, and Ems rivers, and in the North Sea), in light of evaluating the possibilities for their reintroduction. It is based on fisheries data from the 14th–twentieth century, consisting of > 5000 records of sturgeon landings and sales (c. 40,000 specimens) from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Luxemburg, France and Switzerland. Most data originate from fisheries in the Rhine-Meuse delta (c. 28,000 specimens, 98% of the Rhine catches). Further upstream, far fewer sturgeons (c. 600 specimens) were reported from the Rhine’s mainstem and its principal tributaries, Mosel, Neckar and Main. Smaller tributaries and the Ems, Meuse, and Scheldt rivers seldom yielded sturgeons. This spatial pattern can be related to the species’ preference for large-river habitat, combined with fisheries activities that were most intensive in the delta areas. Sturgeon catches began to dwindle in the late nineteenth century, at a time when river engineering first strongly affected the sturgeon’s reproductive habitats in the Lower Rhine and delta areas. Also from then onwards, North Sea fishery pressure increased, as trawlers switched from sail to steam-powered propulsion. These sea fisheries harvested all age-classes of sturgeons year-round, including populations from other European rivers. The outcomes strongly suggest that NW-European sturgeon populations were initially impacted by intensive river fisheries, but especially by destruction of reproductive habitat, due to river regulation, and an intensified North Sea fishery, ultimately resulting in total population collapse.

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Biological Cycles and Migrations of Acipenser sturio

Cited by 9 publications

References 12 publications

The history of sturgeon in the Baltic Sea

The history of sturgeon in the Baltic Sea

European sturgeon (Acipenser sturio L.) young of the year performance in different rearing environments –study within a stocking program

Historical reconstruction of sturgeon (Acipenser spp.) spatiotemporal distribution and causes for their decline in North-Western Europe

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