Lake sturgeon (<i>Acipenser fulvescens</i>) spawning habitat: a quantitative review

Baril, André-Marcel; Buszkiewicz, John T.; Biron, Pascale M.; Phelps, Quinton E.; Grant, James W. A.

doi:10.1139/cjfas-2017-0100

Cited by 24 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Results from the hydrodynamic model were exported to a GIS (ArcGIS 10.4) where average velocities and depths within the spawning sites were compared with an HSI for Lake Sturgeon spawning (Baril et al. ) for each spawning zone, both with and without weirs. Water temperature was not included in the HSI fuzzy analysis described below because it does not vary spatially within a reach, and each spring (usually in May) suitable temperatures will occur in the Ouareau River.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fuzzy membership function also uses the minimum thresholds of suitability, determined for each factor by Baril et al. (), corresponding to 0.7, 0.8, and 0.9, respectively, for velocity, substrate, and depth (Table ; Figure ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Habitat suitability index curves for (A) velocity and (B) depth, adopted from Baril et al. (). The dashed gray line represents the threshold for “excellent” habitat ( HSI = 0.7 for velocity and 0.9 for depth).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To date, 17 projects have attempted to restore or create suitable spawning habitat for Lake Sturgeon throughout North America (Baril et al. ). These projects address two main issues: (1) to compensate for lost habitat from anthropogenic disturbances (Johnson et al.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This was accomplished by using an HSI developed for Lake Sturgeon spawning (Baril et al. ) to conduct a fuzzy multicriteria analysis within a GIS.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

An Assessment of an Unsuccessful Restoration Project for Lake Sturgeon Using Three‐Dimensional Numerical Modelling

Baril

Biron

Grant

2018

N American J Fish Manag

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite a widespread acknowledgment that river restoration projects sometimes fail due to a poor understanding of geomorphology and hydrology, there are relatively few published case studies reporting failures, particularly for nonsalmonid species such as Lake Sturgeon Acipencer fulvescens. We used a three‐dimensional hydrodynamic model to retroactively assess a restoration project in the 80‐m‐wide Ouareau River, Quebec which did not meet its objective of providing additional spawning habitat for Lake Sturgeon. Virtual modifications of the bathymetry allowed for the flow field to be simulated with and without instream structures (boulder weirs) constructed in 2007 for four discharges representing flow conditions during spawning. Simulated velocities and flow depths were used to determine the suitability of the site and to assess the impact of the instream structures. Results revealed that instream structures did not meet the expectation of raising water levels and had no significant impact on river velocity. Furthermore, there was sufficient good quality habitat within the study area before restoration, and artificial spawning sites were placed in locations with nonoptimal velocities for spawning Lake Sturgeon. A comparison with a successful Lake Sturgeon restoration project in the St. Clair–Detroit River system revealed marked differences in restoration strategies, which likely explain the different outcomes of these two projects. These results point to the need for (1) adaptive management protocols that include an iterative decision‐making process to allow for adjustments in hypotheses and strategies to improve the management process, (2) multidisciplinary input, including hydrogeomorphology, and (3) a more systematic use of two‐dimensional or three‐dimensional numerical models prior to the implementation of instream structures in river restoration projects.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This was accomplished by using an HSI developed for Lake Sturgeon spawning (Baril et al. ) to conduct a fuzzy multicriteria analysis within a GIS.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

An Assessment of an Unsuccessful Restoration Project for Lake Sturgeon Using Three‐Dimensional Numerical Modelling

Baril

Biron

Grant

2018

N American J Fish Manag

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Lake sturgeon seasonal movements in regulated and unregulated Missouri River tributaries

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Spatio‐temporal movement patterns of aquatic organisms drive many ecological processes. However, dams block migrations and alter the hydrologic and thermal regimes influencing movement behaviour of freshwater fishes. In North America, many recovering southern Lake Sturgeon populations occur in rivers with hydroelectric dams, but few studies have examined the impact of hydrologic alteration on their seasonal movements. We conducted a 3‐year telemetry study of 96 adult and subadult Lake Sturgeon to compare their migratory responses to temperature and hydrology in adjacent regulated and unregulated tributaries of the Missouri River. Many other populations of Lake Sturgeon use tributaries primarily for spring spawning; however, in our study, Lake Sturgeon used Missouri River tributaries during 78% of the year. Differences in river size, hydrologic and thermal regimes in the regulated Osage River may have contributed to the greater year‐round residency, later initiation, more frequent directional changes and longer duration of spring migrations compared to the unregulated Gasconade River. Lake Sturgeon made spring upstream migrations at temperatures of 13–19°C and elevated discharges in both rivers. However, Osage River migrants responded less to changes in discharge or temperature during spring migrations, especially those that overwintered at upstream locations. Fall tributary migrations occurred in the Osage River at rising or high discharges but were uncommon in the Gasconade River. Our identification of the influences of abiotic variables on the timing, duration and extent of Lake Sturgeon seasonal migrations can help guide management of habitat and hydrology in regulated rivers to recover migratory fishes globally.

show abstract

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

Moore

Paukert

Moore

2020

N American J Fish Manag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ecologists have a limited understanding of the rangewide variation in movement behavior in freshwater fishes, but recent expansion of biotelemetry allows biologists to investigate how fish movement can help to predict behavioral shifts in response to changing environments. The Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens is a wide‐ranging, migratory, coolwater species, making it a candidate species for studying patterns in movement ecology. We conducted a literature review and meta‐analysis of seasonal movement data compiled from 38 Lake Sturgeon telemetry studies in North America to build an understanding of spatiotemporal variation in movement behavior. Lake Sturgeon movement studies were underrepresented for low‐latitude populations in the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio/Tennessee River basins. Highest movement usually occurred during spring spawning migrations, whereas other populations exhibited their highest movement in the fall, potentially in order to overwinter near spawning grounds. Our meta‐regression analysis indicated that latitude or summer maximum temperature best predicted standardized mean difference between spring and summer movement in Lake Sturgeon populations across the species’ range. Our results suggest that Lake Sturgeon populations at lower latitudes and those that experience warmer summer temperatures have lower summer movement relative to spring movement. Managers may use this information to prioritize actions promoting the conservation of seasonally important habitats for the continued recovery of migratory coolwater fish (e.g., Lake Sturgeon) that potentially experience stressful thermal conditions.

show abstract

Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) spawning habitat: a quantitative review

Cited by 24 publications

References 38 publications

An Assessment of an Unsuccessful Restoration Project for Lake Sturgeon Using Three‐Dimensional Numerical Modelling

An Assessment of an Unsuccessful Restoration Project for Lake Sturgeon Using Three‐Dimensional Numerical Modelling

Lake sturgeon seasonal movements in regulated and unregulated Missouri River tributaries

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

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About