Acoustic telemetry and benthic habitat mapping inform the spatial ecology of Shortnose Sturgeon in the Hudson River, New York, USA

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
By: , and 

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Abstract

A history of overexploitation and industrialization of riverine habitats has impacted the Shortnose Sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum, leading this species to become one of the earliest listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The present understanding of Shortnose Sturgeon spatial ecology is based on observations from a limited number of Atlantic coastal rivers. To better understand Shortnose Sturgeon in the Hudson River, New York, we used acoustic telemetry to characterize seasonal habitat use and to identify regions of the river where seasonal sturgeon activity occurred. From 2012 to 2016, 101 adult fish were tagged and tracked, and sturgeon detections per unit effort (a metric of fish observation standardized by search effort) were evaluated against benthic habitat variables by using generalized additive regression models. Models indicated strong habitat associations in the spring season defined by gravel-dominated substrates and specific depth ranges, presumably associated with spawning activity. During summer, Shortnose Sturgeon were more dispersed, associating with muddy habitats, whereas in fall/winter, sturgeon congregated in specific regions of the river. These data demonstrate that river use and habitat associations vary seasonally and identify important areas for managing overlap between seasonal habitat use by Shortnose Sturgeon and human activity on the river.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Acoustic telemetry and benthic habitat mapping inform the spatial ecology of Shortnose Sturgeon in the Hudson River, New York, USA
Series title Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
DOI 10.1002/tafs.10114
Volume 148
Issue 1
Year Published 2019
Language English
Publisher American Fisheries Society
Contributing office(s) Coop Res Unit Leetown
Description 13 p.
First page 35
Last page 47
Country United States
State New York
Other Geospatial Hudson River
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