Spawning and Associated Movement Patterns of Gulf Sturgeon in the Pascagoula River Drainage, Mississippi

Abstract

Gulf sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi are federally listed as threatened, the principal reasons for population declines being habitat loss due to dams, overfishing, and water quality deterioration. The timing of freshwater migration and the locations and habitat features of spawning areas are undocumented for Gulf sturgeon in the Pascagoula River drainage. Our objectives were to identify and characterize spawning areas, determine spring movement patterns, and document homing fidelity by gill netting and radio‐tracking. Through collection and rearing of Gulf sturgeon eggs, we verified that the Bouie River north of Hattiesburg, Mississippi (250 river kilometers upstream from the mouth of the Pascagoula River), is a spawning area. We also documented homing fidelity in the Bouie River using radiotelemetry and capture data. Prolonged residence and overwintering of Gulf sturgeon were observed near the Bouie River spawning area. This behavior may be caused by the modified nature of this portion of the Bouie River, which includes deep, in‐channel gravel pits. Spawning habitat was located in an upstream reach that consisted of hard substrata and gravel with turbulent, high flow. The spawning area on the Bouie River and access to it are vitally important for this species in Mississippi.

Macrobenthic prey and physical habitat characteristics in a western Gulf sturgeon population: differential estuarine habitat use patterns

“…Nets were checked every 2 h; captured Gulf sturgeon were weighed (nearest 0.1 kg) and measured for fork length (FL, cm) and assessed for external tags and internal passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. New captures were tagged with T-bar and PIT tags as described by Heise et al (2004). Juvenile and subadult fish were tagged externally at the base of the dorsal fin (Sulak et al 2009, Havrylkoff et al 2012) with uniquely coded low-powered acoustic tags (either Model V9-2L or V13-1L; 69 kHz; 90 s mean random delay; VEMCO).…”

“…In the USA, the Gulf sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi is a federally listed threatened species (Smith & Tillman 1991), and many of the river, bay, and nearshore areas throughout its range are considered critical habitats that support spawning, in-river holding, or feeding activities (Knowles & Manson 2003). Gulf sturgeon occur in drainages from the Suwannee River, Florida, to the Pearl River, Louisiana (Wooley 1985, Rogillio et al 2007), where they spawn in upriver reaches during the early spring (Sulak & Clugston 1998, Heise et al 2004, and young-of-the-year spend 6 to 10 mo feeding in-river as they migrate down river before they appear in the estuary in December to February (Sulak & Clugston 1998, Havryl koff et al 2012). Juveniles (< 6 yr, except young-of-the-year) are believed to overwinter in the estuary (Sulak & Clugston 1998, 1999, Sulak et al 2009).…”

Evaluation of Potential Impacts of the Lake Maurepas Diversion Project to Gulf and Pallid Sturgeon

“…Movements out of the Pascagoula River system were reported to be during midOctober through late November (Heise et al 2004). …”

“…Exploitation, blockage of migration routes, and declining water quality are thought to be responsible for species decline (Wooley and Crateau 1985;Barkuloo 1988;USFWS and GSMFC 1995). Gulf sturgeon generally spend November through March in saltwater and the rest of the year in freshwater rivers (Wooley and Crateau 1985;Odenkirk 1989;Carr et al 1996;Foster and Clugston 1997;Fox et al 2000;Rogillio et al 2001Rogillio et al , 2007Heise et al 2004). Gulf sturgeon have been collected in tributary rivers (e.g., the Amite River) flowing into Lake Maurepas.…”

The Influence of Discharge on Duration, Ascent Distance, and Fidelity of the Spawning Migration for Paddlefish of the Yellowstone-Sakakawea Stock, Montana and North Dakota, USA

“…Although homing is most often associated with salmonids (Dittman and Quinn 1996), site-fidelity has been demonstrated for other large-river fishes that undergo extensive riverine migrations. Adults from paddlefish (Lein and DeVries 1998;Stancill et al 2002;Zigler et al 2003) as well as Gulf sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi (Wooley and Crateau 1985;Foster and Clugston 1997;Heise et al 2004), Colorado pikeminnow, Ptychocheilus lucius (Tyus 1990;Irving and Modde 2000), and razorback sucker, Xyrauchen texanus (Tyus and Karp 1990;Modde and Irving 1998) populations have been found to return to sites attended to in previous migrations.…”