Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference 2016

AUTHORS: Kim Scribner*, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University; Kari Dammerman, Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University; Yen Duong, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University; John Bauman, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University; Karen Beatty, Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, Edward Baker, Marquette Fisheries Research Station, Michigan Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT: Natural recruitment of lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens is highly variable across years and very few larvae survive past the first year of life. To successfully restore lake sturgeon in the Great Lakes, fishery managers would benefit from information that identifies abiotic and biotic factors limiting egg and larval survival, predict where suitable habitat (and associated fish and invertebrate communities) exists, what restoration and protection actions are needed, and where actions should be targeted. We use a 15 year data set (2001-2015) from a well-studied population or lake sturgeon in the Black River, MI to characterize inter-annual variation in levels of recruitment to the larval stage. Genetic determination of parentage was used to quantify reproductive success of adults from different segments of the population that spawn at different times and locations, and associated with different physical (flow and temperature) and biotic (adult numbers and sex ratios) conditions. Levels of recruitment to the dispersing larval stage have varied 40 fold over the period of observation. During the early portion of the time series, the effective number of spawning adults remained relative constant across years suggesting in years of comparatively lower or higher recruitment, rates of mortality at the egg and larval stage were fairly equitable among spawning adults. In more recent years, variation in stream flow and temperatures has become greater, leading to greater temporal autocorrelation in adult reproductive success. Variation in female reproductive success in recent years is attributed to temperature, discharge, group size, and operational sex ratio which are increasingly variable in riverine systems.

AUTHORS: John Bauman*, Michigan State University Fisheries and Wildlife Department; Dr. Edward Baker, Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division; Dr. Kim Scribner, Michigan State University Fisheries and Wildlife Department and Zoology Department; Dr. Terry Marsh, Michigan State University Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Department

ABSTRACT: Streamside hatchery facilities, which expose cultured eggs and young fish to beneficial cues believed to be associated with imprinting, are a preferred culture technique for lake sturgeon rehabilitation in the Great Lakes region. There are currently seven streamside facilities raising and stocking lake sturgeon in the Great Lakes. These facilities are managed by five different agencies and have been in operation for nearly a decade. However, production from streamside facilities has been inconsistent producing variable and below-target results which has prompted managers to identify temporal sources of mortality and reevaluate current rearing techniques. Significant mortality (>70%) is documented to occur during early life periods, namely the free-embryo and larval periods. In spring 2013, we utilized multiple full-sibling families reared in 3.0 L aquaria to quantify the effect of density and feeding intervals on the growth and survivorship of newly-hatched lake sturgeon in a streamside facility. Based on results from this study, recommendations we provide to Great Lakes streamside facility managers will standardize current rearing and feeding procedures, improve growth and survival, and help streamside facility operators meet stocking targets.

AUTHORS: Edward A Baker*, Michigan Department of Natural Resources; Kim T. Scribner, Michigan State University

ABSTRACT: Stocking is increasingly being employed to rehabilitate and restore lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens populations around the Great Lakes and elsewhere. However, there is little information available to guide stocking decisions such as the appropriate number or age/size of fish to stock, post-stocking survival, etc. As part of ongoing evaluations of a long-term lake sturgeon restoration stocking program in Black Lake, Michigan, we conducted a gillnet survey in 2013 and employed a multiple-mark multiple-recapture population abundance estimator. We collected demographic data and determined fish age based on the presence and location of coded wire tags and pectoral fin-ray cross sections. We determined year-class specific abundance, overall survival from the year of stocking to 2013 for six cohorts, and year-class specific survival from age-0 to age-1 of stocked fish based on the known number stocked and compositional age estimates of the survey catch. Survival from year of stocking to 2013 ranged from 0.03-0.53 across the cohorts sampled. Assuming constant survival for age-1 and older fish, post-stocking survival from age-0 to age-1 ranged from 0.05-0.84 and increased with increasing size of fish at stocking. Based on stocked fish abundance and survival estimates, annual stocking targets for the Black Lake population were established to meet long-term management goals for adult abundance.

AUTHORS: Addie Dutton, MT Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, Montana State University-Department of Ecology; Christopher Guy, USGS MT Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, Montana State University-Department of Ecology; Eric Scholl, Montana State University-Department of Ecology; Nate Beckman, Montana State University-Department of Ecology; Wyatt Cros, Montana State University-Department of Ecology

ABSTRACT: A conservation propagation program was implemented in the late 1990s for the federally endangered pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus because the species was not recruiting in the Missouri River. The conservation propagation program has been successful and several studies suggest that the survival of stocked pallid sturgeon in the Upper Missouri River is relatively high. The high survival of stocked fish has prompted the question of whether too many fish have been stocked. Thus, the purpose of this study was to describe the diets of pallid sturgeon and the closely related shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus in the Upper Missouri River, between Fort Peck Dam and Lake Sakakawea, and the Lower Yellowstone River, and subsequently use these data in a resource-allocation model. We compared the diets of pallid sturgeon varying from 297 mm to 1003 mm and shovelnose sturgeon varying from 209 mm to 853 mm. Chironomidae and Baetidae numerically dominated the diets of shovelnose sturgeon (n=100), while Chironomidae and Ephemerellidae were most abundant in pallid sturgeon diets (n=104). Given these similarities, diet overlap between the species was very high (Pianka = 0.99). No shovelnose sturgeon diets contained fish; however, 32 pallid sturgeon diets contained fish, where the smallest pallid sturgeon to consume fish was 350 mm. These data suggest that pallid sturgeon and shovelnose sturgeon have very similar diets and that competition could be a concern if resources are limited.

AUTHORS: Laura B. Heironimus, Department of Natural Resource Management, South Dakota State University; Steven R. Chipps*, USGS South Dakota Coop Unit; David D. Deslauriers, Department of Natural Resource Management, South Dakota State University; David Galat, USGS Missouri Coop Unit

ABSTRACT: Cold-water releases below large dams can have an important influence on fisheries productivity. In the upper Missouri River, the construction of large impoundments has been associated with changes in water temperature regimes, seasonal hydrographs, water turbidity, and migration corridors for fishes. Habitat alterations in the Missouri River are believed to contribute to recruitment failure in the federally endangered pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus, with research priorities focused on the larval stage of the species. Using a bioenergetics approach, we simulated growth dynamics of larval pallid sturgeon in the upper and lower Missouri River. Long-term water temperature data were obtained below Garrison Dam (GD), North Dakota during pre-dam (1932-1952) and post-dam (1960-2001) periods; data for similar time periods were obtained from the lower Missouri River (LMR) near Boonville, Missouri. Larval growth, starting at hatch and simulated over an average growing season, showed that end weights increased by 1% and decreased by 65% from the pre-dam to the post-dam time periods in the LMR and GD, respectively. We also found 5% and 54% fewer cumulative thermal units in the LMR and GD, respectively – compared to pre-dam conditions. Our findings show that the cold water from deep-release storage reservoirs (i.e. Garrison Dam) can reduce growth of larval pallid sturgeon; however, further downstream in the LMR (~1880 km), negative impacts from temperature are no longer detected. With six major dams along the main stem upper Missouri River, thermal impacts may be an important factor affecting growth and recruitment in pallid sturgeon.

AUTHORS: John Buszkiewicz*, Southeast Missouri State University; Sara Tripp, Missouri Department of Conservation; Quinton Phelps, Missouri Department of Conservation; Dave Herzog, Missouri Department of Conservation

ABSTRACT: Lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens is a fish species which is currently protected from harvest and considered rare in the Upper Mississippi River and endangered in Missouri. Habitat fragmentation and overexploitation has led to historic population declines. Even though management efforts have been effective in assessing population increases through stocking programs, spawning success in the Upper Mississippi River has historically been undocumented. Since the presence of embryos or larvae has previously been unconfirmed in this region, the three main objectives of this project were to identify lake sturgeon spawning aggregations, confirm the presence of embryos or larvae near these aggregations, and to characterize the habitat of these spawning locations. Gillnets and trotlines were used to sample adult lake sturgeon, which were subsequently implanted with ultrasonic transmitters. In areas where spawning aggregations occurred, embryos were collected and hatched in the laboratory. Genetic testing of the progeny has confirmed the species identification and will offer further insight as to which specific brood stock contributed to this spawning event. Fine mesh trawling surveys were also conducted to assess recruitment success and habitat use of larval sturgeon species. The information presented in this study will further develop existing knowledge of lake sturgeon reproductive ecology which will ultimately enhance natural reproduction of lake sturgeon in the Upper Mississippi River.

AUTHORS: Jessica Sherman*, University of Toledo; Jonathan Bossenbroek, University of Toledo; Todd Crail, University of Toledo; Christine Mayer, University of Toledo Lake Erie Center; James Boase, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; Justin Chiotti, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; and Christopher Vandergoot, Ohio Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT: Habitat suitability models inform species restoration by assessing if current habitat has degraded to the point that species reintroduction would be unfeasible. Lake sturgeon are a candidate for reintroduction in the Maumee River where they were historically abundant. Over-exploitation in Lake Erie and habitat alteration in the Maumee River extirpated lake sturgeon from this waterway. Lake sturgeon spawning has not been documented in the system in the last century and they were recorded being absent as early as 1885. While restoration efforts to rebuild lake sturgeon populations are underway throughout the Great Lakes basin, habitat in the Maumee River has undergone substantial alteration since lake sturgeon last spawned there. An assessment of habitat quality and quantity will inform future reintroduction efforts. We have constructed a spatially explicit habitat suitability model for spawning adult lake sturgeon for the lower Maumee River that includes habitat layers for substrate composition and water depth. A combination of survey methods including side scan sonar, visual observation, and benthic grabs were used to assess substrate composition. Habitat characteristics were mapped as a spatially explicit layer in ArcGIS and then combined to provide an overall assessment of habitat suitability and connectivity. Habitat suitability was delineated as good or moderate-good for optimal habitats, moderate, or moderate-poor or poor for suboptimal habitats. Model results suggest that more than 50% of the Maumee River is classified as good or moderate-good for spawning adults based on these two characteristics. Future model elaboration will include water velocity, water quality characteristics, habitat size and connectivity and will also be constructed for age-0 lake sturgeon. These models will aid in the development of a restoration plan for reintroduction of lake sturgeon into the Maumee River by providing an estimate of the amount of habitat available for critical life-history stages.

AUTHORS: Michael Thomas*, Michigan Department of Natural Resources; Todd Wills, Michigan Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT: Staff at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Lake St. Clair Fishery Research Station first undertook assessment of the lake sturgeon population in the St. Clair-Detroit River System (SCDRS) in 1996. Since that time, more than 2,800 individual lake sturgeon have been tagged and released using a variety of gear types. Through 2014, a total of 375 unique sturgeon have been recaptured a combined 540 times, including 113 unique fish with multiple recaptures, one individual fish with 8 recaptures and 11 individuals with at least 4 recaptures recorded. Over this 20 year time period, a few lessons have been learned: Small data sets grow and what starts out manageable in Excel becomes unmanageable. Sampling in these large connecting channels is difficult and evolution or adaptation of survey methods across time can be a challenge for both record keeping and data analysis. Sturgeon are more abundant in the SCDRS than we expected. Estimating population parameters for these long-lived, mobile fish in an open system spanning decades is challenging. Lake sturgeon are tough fish that can handle stress well and survive serious injuries. The power of interagency collaboration and partnerships for research and restoration across large systems can’t be overstated. Some needles in the haystack remain unfound. Repeat encounters with unique fish captured numerous times over many years provide insightful data. Despite much progress, there’s lots of remaining work. Population estimates based on expanding mark-recapture data and telemetry studies can be refined. Young-of-year and yearling distribution and habitat characterization remain critical unknowns. Telemetry-documented movements across management unit boundaries present a regulatory challenge for management agencies. Evaluation of habitat restoration efforts require long-term monitoring and continued interagency collaboration. These lessons have shaped the MDNR’s long-term lake sturgeon assessment program in the SCDRS and provided a solid foundation for management of this species.

AUTHORS: Joseph R. Krieger*, University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment; James S. Diana, University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT: This study determined the quantity, quality, and spatial distribution of riverine nursery habitat for YOY and juvenile (< 500 mm) lake sturgeon in a portion of the St. Clair River (SCR), MI., and demonstrates the need for system specific sampling and monitoring efforts for early-stage individuals in large river systems. A habitat suitability model was developed using georeferenced habitat information on substrate, invertebrate composition, flow, depth and larval sturgeon distribution. High quality habitat constituted 39.8% of the study area; was located primarily in river bends and other areas where water velocities rapidly changed, and possessed moderate invertebrate densities, a mix of sand and silt substrate, and depths exceeding 7 m. Larval sampling revealed three areas of high densities representing 91.2 % of total catch; all of which occurred in areas characterized by the model as high quality habitat. This study highlights an abundance of habitat suitable for YOY and juvenile lake sturgeon within the SCR and suggests a shift in sampling methodologies of early-stage lake sturgeon in this and other large river systems is warranted.

AUTHORS: Robert D. Hunter*, U.S. Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center; Edward F. Roseman, U.S. Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center; Robin L. DeBruyne, Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University and Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Toledo; Jason L. Fischer, Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University and Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Toledo; Paige Wigren, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University; Zach Fyke, U.S. Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center; Jake Magier, U.S. Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center

ABSTRACT: Robert D. Hunter*, U.S. Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center; Edward F. Roseman, U.S. Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center; Robin L. DeBruyne, Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University and Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Toledo; Jason L. Fischer, Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University and Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Toledo; Paige Wigren, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University; Zach Fyke, U.S. Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center; Jake Magier, U.S. Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center

AUTHORS: Jason L. Fischer*, USGS Great Lakes Science Center Edward Roseman, USGS Greg Kennedy, USGS Jaquie Craig, USGS Bruce Manny, USGS David Bennion, USGS

ABSTRACT: Lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens were historically abundant throughout the St. Clair-Detroit River system (SCDRS). However, overfishing and removal of spawning substrate through construction of shipping channels from the late 1800s to mid-1900s led to declines in lake sturgeon populations within the system. Regulations currently protect adult lake sturgeon from overfishing, but loss of spawning substrates continues to limit reproduction and recruitment. Artificial spawning reefs composed of 10-20 cm limestone have been built in the SCDRS to reintroduce spawning substrates lost to shipping channel construction and improve lake sturgeon reproduction. However, the reefs are only functional when the cobble is exposed and interstitial spaces are present for egg deposition and incubation. Recent sedimentation of reefs has called for a detailed assessment of flow and sediment characteristics at constructed and potential reef sites. Flow patterns and substrates at artificial reef sites were mapped with an acoustic Doppler current profiler, side-scan sonar, and underwater video to identify characteristics of successful projects. Maps of substrates and water velocities revealed patterns associated with reefs that have remained functional and areas that have experienced in-filling. In particular, areas where water velocity near the river bottom increased from up- to downstream tended to remain free of fine sediments and the presence of fine sediments prior to reef construction may limit the functional life span of an artificial spawning reef. These findings have helped guide recent artificial spawning reef restoration projects and provide a foundation for future reef restoration within the SCDRS and other connecting channels of the Laurentian Great Lakes.