Marine Distribution and Habitat Use of Atlantic Sturgeon in New York Lead to Fisheries Interactions and Bycatch

Dunton, Keith J.; Jordaan, Adrian; Conover, David O.; McKown, Kim A.; Bonacci, Lisa A.; Frisk, Michael

doi:10.1080/19425120.2014.986348

Cited by 33 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Size distributions of sturgeon bycatch are dome‐shaped (Dunton et al . ), and body sizes of sturgeon tagged in this study were mostly in the lower portion of these distributions, within the region of positive slope in which larger individuals account for more bycatch than smaller individuals. This provides support for size‐selective fishing mortality (and thus considerable overall fishing mortality) in fisheries that catch sturgeon incidentally.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…; Dunton et al . ). The timing of coastal migration periods strongly influences fishing mortality because of the spatio‐temporal overlap with fishing activity (Dunton et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Marine bycatch of Atlantic sturgeon occurs in coastal bottom trawl and gillnet fisheries (Stein, Friedland & Sutherland ), particularly along the Long Island Coast in the New York Bight (Dunton et al . ). Summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus (Linnaeus, 1766) otter trawl fisheries overlap with sturgeon aggregations, while migration routes within 4·63 km of the coast expose sturgeon to gillnet fisheries generally targeting goosefish Lophius americanus (Valenciennes, 1837) (Dunton et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Detections of tagged sturgeon at acoustic receivers deployed along coastal Long Island showed broad movements across the region and two primary peaks of occurrence, in late spring and fall during migrations (Dunton ; Dunton et al . ). However, variation among receiver stations in the probability of detecting tagged fish, as well as focus on mass detections rather than individual transitions, limits interpretation of movement and survival patterns over time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The timing of coastal migration periods strongly influences fishing mortality because of the spatio‐temporal overlap with fishing activity (Dunton et al . ; Hightower et al . ), but fishing times and locations can be managed (Crowder & Murawski ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Informing conservation strategies for the endangered Atlantic sturgeon using acoustic telemetry and multi‐state mark–recapture models

Melnychuk

Dunton

Jordaan

et al. 2016

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Summary Causes of non‐intentional mortality may pose conservation challenges for long‐lived, migratory species. Recovery attempts for Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus populations in the USA have mainly involved closures of targeted fishing, but bycatch mortality from fisheries targeting other species remains a significant obstacle. Natural and fishing mortality levels are highly uncertain and difficult to separate, but quantifying spatial and temporal patterns of movements and total mortality can directly inform management policies regarding fishing activity that affects sturgeon. Subadult sturgeon were tagged with acoustic transmitters to track their movements with receivers deployed in active fishing areas within the New York Bight. Multi‐state mark–recapture models were used to quantify seasonal patterns in survival and migration while accounting for detection probabilities of tagged fish. Movement patterns of sturgeon were highly variable among seasons along the Long Island Coast, with frequent south‐westward movements during the increase in sea surface temperature in spring. North‐eastward movements were most pronounced during winter, when temperatures were lowest. Sturgeon were less common along coastal Long Island during summer. Larger fish transitioned among strata more frequently, but also had slightly lower survival than smaller fish, which may result from selectivity for larger individuals caught incidentally in bottom trawl or gillnet fisheries. Weekly total mortality rates, including both natural and fishing mortality, averaged 0·24%. Highest weekly survival rates were observed during periods of decreasing sea surface temperature in autumn and winter, while lowest survival was observed during periods of increasing temperature in spring and summer while sturgeon migrated through areas of known bycatch. Policy implications. Movement and survival patterns of Atlantic sturgeon suggest that late spring, coinciding with periods of ocean bycatch in fisheries along the coast of Long Island, is a particularly sensitive period for Atlantic sturgeon. Conservation efforts could target these few weeks using real‐time observations from acoustic telemetry and remote sensing technologies to implement in‐season fishery closures, thereby reducing incidental mortality of Atlantic sturgeon. Such bycatch management measures would aid in recovery attempts of a long‐lived, migratory population with endangered status.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…; Dunton et al . ). The timing of coastal migration periods strongly influences fishing mortality because of the spatio‐temporal overlap with fishing activity (Dunton et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Informing conservation strategies for the endangered Atlantic sturgeon using acoustic telemetry and multi‐state mark–recapture models

Melnychuk

Dunton

Jordaan

et al. 2016

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Novel insights into the marine phase and river fidelity of anadromous twaite shad Alosa fallax in the UK and Ireland

Davies

Britton

Nunn

et al. 2020

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Most research on anadromous fishes has been invested in their freshwater lifephases, resulting in a relatively sparse understanding of their spatial ecology during marine life-phases. However, understanding the marine dispersal of anadromous fishes is essential to identify threats and to implement conservation measures that fully encompass their lifecycle.2. The twaite shad Alosa fallax is an anadromous fish increasingly imperilled across its range due to pollution, harvesting, and impediments to freshwater migration, but little is known about its distribution and movements during its marine lifephase. Here, the application of acoustic telemetry provided novel insights into the coastal dispersal of twaite shad in the UK and Ireland during 2018-2019, and the freshwater entry of individuals during the 2019 spawning season. 3. Of 73 twaite shad acoustic-tagged during their upstream migration in the River Severn in May 2018, 58 emigrated from the river. Twelve were subsequently detected 200 km to the south-west at the Taw-Torridge Estuary between July 2018 and April 2019, where estuarine movements up to 5.8 km inland occurred in summer, winter, and spring. One was subsequently detected in the Munster Blackwater Estuary (Ireland) and then in the River Severn, indicating a minimum movement distance of 950 km. Thirty-four (59%) of the emigrating individuals from 2018 re-entered fresh water in the rivers Severn (n = 33) and Wye (n = 2) in April and May 2019.4. These results suggest year-round use of estuarine and nearshore habitats by at least a subset of the twaite shad population during their marine phase, providing evidence of potential range overlap between populations that spawn in different areas in the UK and Ireland, which may be facilitated by substantial dispersal. The results also highlight the potential of telemetry for estimating freshwater and marine mortality, and the benefits of sharing detection data across networks.

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Environmental Drivers of Adult Atlantic Sturgeon Movement and Residency in the Delaware Bay

2018

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Animals utilize various habitats throughout their life to optimize growth, fitness, and survival. Identifying environmental conditions and locations where animals exhibit different movement behaviors can be used to infer the relative importance of habitat types. In the case of threatened and endangered species, such as the Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus, critical habitat designations are a tool used to promote conservation and recovery. We utilized an extensive passive acoustic telemetry array, observed atmospheric conditions and river flow, modeled seawater conditions, and used generalized additive mixed modeling to determine environmental predictors of Atlantic Sturgeon movement and residency in the Delaware Bay on the U.S. East Coast. Our results suggested that shallower waters, warmer bottom temperatures, and areas toward the eastern portion of the Delaware Bay were predictive of residency, while movement was predicted by increased depth, cooler bottom temperatures, and areas toward the western portion of the bay. Our findings add to a growing body of evidence highlighting habitats at the Delaware Bay mouth, where Atlantic Sturgeon occur at heightened concentrations from late spring through fall. The Delaware River estuary once supported the largest population of Atlantic Sturgeon in North America, but that population is now critically imperiled (or endangered). Atlantic Sturgeon spend the vast majority of their life in marine, polyhaline waters, and without enhanced protection for these habitats, their recovery may never be realized.

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Marine Distribution and Habitat Use of Atlantic Sturgeon in New York Lead to Fisheries Interactions and Bycatch

Cited by 33 publications

References 20 publications

Informing conservation strategies for the endangered Atlantic sturgeon using acoustic telemetry and multi‐state mark–recapture models

Informing conservation strategies for the endangered Atlantic sturgeon using acoustic telemetry and multi‐state mark–recapture models

Novel insights into the marine phase and river fidelity of anadromous twaite shad Alosa fallax in the UK and Ireland

Environmental Drivers of Adult Atlantic Sturgeon Movement and Residency in the Delaware Bay

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