Shannon Blackburn
Zachary Jackson
Michael C. Quist
Marta Ulaski
2022
<div id="15050063" class="article-section-wrapper js-article-section js-content-section " data-section-parent-id="0"><p>Management objectives for long-lived species are difficult to define because many taxa have delayed maturity and variable recruitment. White Sturgeon<span> </span><i>Acipenser transmontanus</i><span> </span>is an example of a species with a complex life history that complicates long-term status monitoring and establishment of management objectives. Historically, White Sturgeon in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River basin have been monitored by tracking the abundance of age-15 individuals as outlined by the Central Valley Project Improvement Act. However, infrequent recruitment complicates progress toward Central Valley Project Improvement Act management objectives because abundance of a single cohort fails to represent overall population trends. By using a Leslie population matrix, we demonstrate that the probability of reaching the Central Valley Project Improvement Act objective of 11,000 age-15 White Sturgeon is highly unlikely. We propose an alternative metric of 155,000 adults, which better represents overall population trends of White Sturgeon in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River basin, can be efficiently monitored, and can support both the goal of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act and management objectives.</p></div>
application/pdf
10.3996/JFWM-21-070
en
Allen Press
Management goals for conserving White Sturgeon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River basin
article