Evaluating population trends of juvenile Atlantic Sturgeon at low abundance in a dynamic estuarine environment (Hudson River, New York)
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Abstract
Evaluating population trends in dynamic estuarine environments can be challenging, especially when survey data include a high percentage of zero observations. In fishery-independent surveys, zeros that come from reduced susceptibility to sample gears and reduced availability of the population to the survey impact survey catchability and negatively bias relative abundance indices. A zero-inflated negative binomial model was used to standardize a juvenile Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) relative abundance index (Hudson River, New York) that included a high proportion (42%) of zero observations and intra- and interannually variable covariates. Reduced susceptibility was related to low water temperature, with the percentage of zeroes increasing rapidly below 7°C. Availability was influenced by temperature and distance to salt front, as catch rates increased with temperature and peaked in mesohaline waters ~27 km downstream of the predicted salt front. An alternative index suggested significant population growth (r = 0.15; p-value = 0.007) occurred from 2004 to 2015. The zero-inflated model helped better understand Hudson River juvenile Atlantic Sturgeon ecology and relative trends in abundance, to better inform future management and monitoring decisions along the Atlantic Coast.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Evaluating population trends of juvenile Atlantic Sturgeon at low abundance in a dynamic estuarine environment (Hudson River, New York) |
| Series title | Fisheries Management and Ecology |
| DOI | 10.1111/fme.12638 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Publication Date | June 15, 2023 |
| Year Published | 2023 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Contributing office(s) | Great Lakes Science Center |
| Description | 14 p. |
| First page | 507 |
| Last page | 520 |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| Other Geospatial | Haverstraw Bay, Hudson River |