Age, growth, mortality, and abundance of lake sturgeon in the Grasse River, New York, USA

Journal of Applied Ichthyology
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Abstract

An increased understanding of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) population dynamics is a key requirement for successful management efforts. Little is known regarding the Grasse River population of lake sturgeon except that it is one of a few populations in New York State where spawning has been documented. Thus our purpose was to assess the current status of lake sturgeon in the Grasse River system, including age, growth, mortality, and abundance. Age was determined for 196 of 211 lake sturgeon by examination of sectioned pectoral fin rays. Ages ranged from 0 to 32 years and the annual mortality rate for fish between ages 7 and 14 was 16.8%. The weight (W, g) to total length (TL, mm) relationship was W = 1.281 x 10-6TL3.202. The von Bertalanffy growth equation was TL = 1913(1-e-0.0294(t+9.5691)). While the range of observed ages was similar to that of nearby St. Lawrence River populations, mean weight at age for an individual at 1000 mm TL was lower than that observed for lake sturgeon within Lake St. Francis of the St. Lawrence River. Predicted growth based on von Bertalanffy parameters was similar to that observed for the nearby Lake St. Francis. An open population estimator using the POPAN sub-module in the Program MARK produced an abundance estimate of 793 lake sturgeon (95% CI = 337-1249).

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Age, growth, mortality, and abundance of lake sturgeon in the Grasse River, New York, USA
Series title Journal of Applied Ichthyology
DOI 10.1111/j.1439-0426.2010.01599.x
Volume 27
Issue 1
Year Published 2011
Language English
Publisher Wiley-Blackwell
Publisher location Berlin, Germany
Contributing office(s) Coop Res Unit Atlanta
Description 7 p.
First page 13
Last page 19
Online Only (Y/N) N
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
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