Seasonal movements and spatial overlap of juvenile and adult lake sturgeon in Lake Champlain

Transactions of American Fisheries Society
By: , and 

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Abstract

The lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens is a large, long-lived, potamodromous species that is widely distributed throughout freshwater systems in the central part of North America. In this study, we used acoustic telemetry to examine seasonal distribution and movement patterns of endangered Lake Sturgeon in Lake Champlain, Vermont. Acoustic tags were implanted in 29 juvenile Lake Sturgeon (453–874 mm TL) and 19 adults (1,215–1,615 mm TL) from the Winooski River and nearby areas of Lake Champlain between 2015 and 2019; tags were detected with 23 passive acoustic receivers deployed in the river and delta area and an additional 34 receivers deployed throughout Lake Champlain. Home range analysis using a lattice-based density estimator indicated that juvenile home range sizes were the same as adult home range sizes in spring and summer but were statistically larger than adult home ranges in winter. Cumulative home range analysis showed that juvenile and adult home ranges overlapped in shallow (<10-m) water in the summer and fall. In winter and spring, cumulative home ranges from juveniles included deepwater sites (>25 m), while adults remained in shallow water near the mouth of their spawning river. Seven juveniles made long-range movements (18–34 km) during the winter and spring months, and 13 juveniles moved back into the lower section of their natal river after overwintering in Lake Champlain. This study is the first to directly compare adult and juvenile Lake Sturgeon distribution, home range size, movements, and habitat use in a large lake system and provides a baseline for further research on the movement ecology of Lake Sturgeon in Lake Champlain.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Seasonal movements and spatial overlap of juvenile and adult lake sturgeon in Lake Champlain
Series title Transactions of American Fisheries Society
DOI 10.1002/tafs.10378
Volume 151
Issue 6
Publication Date September 04, 2022
Year Published 2022
Language English
Publisher American Fisheries Society
Contributing office(s) Coop Res Unit Leetown
Description 16 p.
First page 666
Last page 681
Country United States
State Vermont
Other Geospatial Lake Champlain
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