Reviving the Lake Sturgeon in the Lake Champlain Watershed Sarah Donelson Nick Costello Catriona Brosius Devon Snyder

Reviving the Lake Sturgeon in the Lake Champlain Watershed

Sarah Donelson Nick Costello Catriona Brosius Devon Snyder

http://www.thousandislandslife.com/Portals/Properties/images/News-Articles/2009/Jan-photos/WLW-TheCaseoftheVanishingSturgeon_126C2-LakeSturgeon780_thumb.jpg

Problem Statement

Many human-induced environmental factors such as habitat degradation, introduction of invasive species, and historic fishing pressures have lead to the decline of the lake sturgeon population within the Lake Champlain basin.

Goal/PurposeResearch and compile information about

lake sturgeon in the Lake Champlain watershed

Determine primary stressorsMake recommendations based on

gathered data

Objectives1.) Assess the feasibility of improving the lake

sturgeon stocking program in Lake Champlain

2.) Understand negative effects of predatory and competitive species on lake sturgeon

3.) Identify historical densities, locations, and uses of lake sturgeon

4.) Based on current and historical occurrence of lake sturgeon, understand how habitat loss has affected the Lake Champlain population

It is an ancient family of fish: having been around since the Upper Cretaceous period (136 million years ago)

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGC/StaticFiles/Images/Show/43xx/432x/4321_Hooked_Monster_Fish_of_America-01_04700300.JPG

http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/images/2007/06/13/dinosaur.jpg

http://vindyame2008.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/dinosaur-printable-invitation2.jpghttp://vindyame2008.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/dinosaur-printable-invitation2.jpg

Can grow to over 7 ft long and over 300 pounds

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bethelhistorical.org/Indians%2520boiling%2520sap,%2520etc..

Fishing History Early 1800:

sturgeon viewed as nuisance species

Mid-Late 1800: heavily fished

1900 – 1970: little known, other than that populations all over were declining

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Life cycle Sexual maturity is reached at ages

14 to 33 for females, and ages 12 to 22 for males

Females spawn once every 4 to 9 years

Males spawn once every 2 to 7 years

Spawning occurs on clean, gravel shoals usually below the first large rapid or dam

Life span can reach around 55 years for males and 80 to 150 years for females

http://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity/phenology/2003/lake_sturgeon2003_01_gf.jpg

Habitat Loss

Requirements of Spawning Grounds

Temperature between 6.6˚ and 16˚ C

Water Depth between 2 and 15 Ft

Water Velocity between 1.6 and 3.5 Ft/Sec

Substrate consisting of mostly gravel and cobbles

Current Suitable Sturgeon Habitat in VTMissisquoi River

Lamoille River

Winooski River

Spawning ProcessSturgeon find appropriate spawning

grounds

Lay eggs which adhere to rocks

7 to 13 days later, eggs hatch

Fry drift for sometimes even a few kilometers before landing in spaces between rocks on the river bed

(Auer 1996)

Dams

Sturgeon cannot jumpDams and Natural Waterfalls affect their ability

to find suitable spawning areas

Although they can swim over 1,000 kilometers, stream obstructions make this impossible

Swanton Dam in Swanton Vermont

Located on the Missisquoi River

Restored in 1960’s

Highland Falls, upstream of Swanton Dam

Potentially harmful to the spawning process

Images from: http://www.lciderby.com/userfiles/swanton-dam.jpg

Invasive and Nuisance Species

Sea Lamprey

Zebra Mussels

Sea Lamprey(Petromyzon marinus)

ParisiticDirect and indirect mortality

of troutLake sturgeon mortality?

Lamprey and Sturgeon

Locations and frequency of sea lamprey attachments on four class sizes of lake sturgeon

Fork Length (FL)

Class Size Direct Mortality(%)

Indirect Mortality (%)

I 11 11

II 31 19

III 8 8

IV 0 0

Effects of Parasitism

Direct and indirect mortality

Class IV : all survivedSmaller, young sturgeon most affectedAbove a 650 mm FL, “lethality from a sea

lamprey attack declines substanitally” (Patrick et al. 2009)

Sea Lamprey

Control StrategiesBarriers Trapping adultsLampricide during larval stage:

3-triflouromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) Minimum lethal concentration (MLC) No-observable effect concentration (NOEC) Effect on young sturgeon

TFM Toxicity

Zebra Mussels

Mussels cover hard and soft sediments

Affect sturgeon feedingBlock access to

invertebrates in sand

The foraging habits of lake sturgeon in a controlled environment. Black: 95% zebra mussel cover treatment, Grey: 50% mussel coverWhite: bare sand.

Zebra Mussel

Young-of-the-year sturgeonSandy bottom preferredZebra mussel cover avoided

Observations of sturgeon in various habitat types.

Nuisance species: summaryLamprey parasitism:

mortality in juvenile sturgeon

Lampricide: mortality in juveniles

Zebra mussles: (-) block access to food

for juvenile sturgeon(+) Food source for

adults

Stocking

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.fws.gov/ennis/images/fish_stocking_400.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.fws.gov/ennis/&usg=__PfD1Z3G3C4AiiNtRDX0Ice_XKY=&h=300&w=400&sz=29&hl=en&start=43&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=7eOdi307NEg4GM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dstocking%2Bfish%26start%3D36%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefoxa%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26ndsp%3D18%26tbs%3Disch:1

Stocking Issues

Introduction of new genetic strains

Healthier stocked populationsCompetition

Hybridization or Outbreeding Depression

http://www.briancoad.com/ncr/NCRPics/lake_sturgeonNY%20State.jpg

Stocking Feasibility

Study conducted for Lake Champlain in 1994Natural reproduction would not be enoughSuggested stocking

A 1995 review group gathered to evaluate planSuggested a survey of current population be

conducted before stocking implementationStill collecting data in Vermont with no

stocking plan in place

New York Stocking Program

Occurring in selected tributaries of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario

Limited data currently available

Recommendations

Continue monitoring and collecting data but at this point, do not stock in Lake Champlain

Lower concentrations of lampricide, use TFM-niclosamide

Removal of habitat obstacles

If eventually it is possible to stock with the native genome, then establish a stocking program

Acknowledgments

Thanks to:

Ellen Marsden of UVM

Chet MacKenzie of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department

Louise and Larry Lampman of the Missisquoi Abenaki

ORDER Introduce Paper -Nick

Problem Statement -Nick

Goal/Purpose -Devon

Objectives -Catriona

History -Nick

Habitat Loss -Catriona

Invasives -Devon

Stocking -Sarah

Recommendations -Sarah

Acknowledgments -Sarah

Literature Cited  Auer, Nancy A. “Importance of Habitat and Migration to Sturgeons with Emphasis on Lake Sturgeon.” Canadian Journal of Fisheries

and Aquatic Sciences 53.1 (1996): 152-160. Web. 22 Mar. 2010.   Baker, Chris. 2007. Case for removing the swanton dam and restoring fish passage. Lake   Barth, C.C.; Peake, S.J.; Allen, P.J.; Anderson, W.G. “Habitat Utilization of Juvenile Lake Sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens, in a Large

Canadian River.” Journal of Applied Ichthyology 25.2 (2009): 18-26. Web. 19 Mar. 2010.   Boogaard, Michael A., Terry D. Bills, David A. Johnson. 2003. Acute toxicity of TFM and a TFM/Niclosamide mixtre to selected

species of fish, including Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvenscens) and mudpuppies (Necturus maculosus), in laboratory and field exposures. Journal of Great Lakes Research 29(Supplement 1):529-541.

  Bowers, M. George. Report of the Commissioner, United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries. 1905. Washington. Champlain

International. <http://www.lciderby.com>.   Christie, G. C., J. V. Adams, T. B. Steeves, J. W. Slade, D. W.Cuddy, M. F. Fodale, R. J. Young, M. Kuc, and M. L. Jones.. 2003.

Selecting Great Lakes streams for lampricide treatment ased on larval sea lamprey surveys. Journal of Great Lakes Research 29(Supplement 1):152–160.

Conservation. 2010. <http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/26045.html>.   Ethers, James. 2009. Missisquoi – Swanton Revitalization. Petition. <http://www.PetitionOnline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?

swanton9>.   Lake Sturgeon Restocking Program Considered. Harbor Watch. 2009. <http://www.harborwatch.com/news/sturgeon.htm>.   Lake Sturgeon Restoration. New York State Department of Environmental   Laroche, Wayne. “Remove the Swanton Dam: Bring Back The Fish.” Commissioner, VT Department of Fish and Wildlife. Accessed

via: <http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/calendaritems/Swanton_Dam.pdf> 21 Mar. 2010.   Lyttle, Madeline. “Spawning Habitat Suitability for Walleye and Lake Sturgeon in the Missisquoi River.” Fishery Biologist, U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Services. Accessed via: <http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/library/Reports_and_Documents/Fish_and_Wildlife/Spawning_Habitat_Suitability_for_Walleye_and_Lake_Sturgeon_in_the_Missisquoi_River.pdf> on 21 Mar. 2010.

Continued Lake Sturgeon Restoration. New York State Department of Environmental   Laroche, Wayne. “Remove the Swanton Dam: Bring Back The Fish.” Commissioner, VT Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Accessed via: <http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/calendaritems/Swanton_Dam.pdf> 21 Mar. 2010.   Lyttle, Madeline. “Spawning Habitat Suitability for Walleye and Lake Sturgeon in the Missisquoi River.” Fishery

Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. Accessed via: <http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/library/Reports_and_Documents/Fish_and_Wildlife/Spawning_Habitat_Suitability_for_Walleye_and_Lake_Sturgeon_in_the_Missisquoi_River.pdf> on 21 Mar. 2010.

McCabe, D.J., M.A. Beekey, A. Mazloff, and J.E. Marsden. 2006. Negative effect of zebra mussels on foraging and habitat use by lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens). Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 16:493-500. 

  Moreau, D. L. and D. L. Parrish. 1994. A study of the feasibility of restoring lake Champlain   Patrick, Holly K., Trent M. Sutton, and William D. Swink. 2009. Lethality of sea lamprey parasitism on lake sturgeon.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 138:1065-1075.   Peterson, Douglas L.; Vecsei, Paul; Jennings, Cecil A. “Ecology and Biology of the Lake Sturgeon: A Synthesis of Current

Knowledge of a Threatened North American Acipenseridae.” Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 17 (2007) 59-76 web. 20 Mar. 2010.

  Stone, Livingstone. 1901. “On the spawing habits of lake sturgeon”. Biennial report of the Fish Commissioners of the

State of Vermont. Vol. 11-18. sturgeon to Lake Champlain. Technical Report No. 9. Lake Champlain Basin Program, Grand Isle, VT.   Zerrenner, Adam and J. Ellen Marsden. 2006. Comparison of larval sea lamprey life history characteristics in a

lampricide-treated tributary and untreated tributary system of Lake Champlain. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 135:1301-1311.

Works CitedSlides 17, 18, and 21: Photo and graphic: Sea lamprey and sea lamprey life

cycle. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6998.html

Slide 18: Photo: Sea lamprey. Minnesota Sea Grant. http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/ais/sealamprey_battle

Slide 19: Image: Sturgeon size classes. Patrick, Holly et al. Lethality of sea lamprey parasitism on lake sturgeon. 2009. American Fisheries Society.

Slide 19: Image: Fish measurements. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Education/Diagrams/FishDimensions.html

Slide 17: Photo: Zebra mussels. http://www.geog.ubc.ca/courses/geog471/classof08/aisca/intro.html

Slide 22, 23: Zebra mussel effects on sturgeon and Sturgeon habitat type chart. McCabe, D.J., M.A. Beekey, A. Mazloff, and J.E. Marsden. 2006. Negative effect of zebra mussels on foraging and habitat use by lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens). Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 16:493-500. 

Slide 24: Photo: Juvenile Sturgeon. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bayviewcompass/2888180529/

Slide 25: McDonald, Gordon D. and Cynthia S. Kolar. 2007. Research and Guide the Use of Lampricides for controlling Sea Lamprey. Journal of Great Lakes Research. 33(sp 2):20-34.