GLATOS

Lake Superior East Lake Sturgeon

Project Title

Tracking of Juvenile Lake Sturgeon Movements in Eastern Lake Superior Bays

Project Code

LSELS

Project Duration

April 2015 - December 2025

Project Description

Our study will examine the movement and habitat use of Lake Sturgeon in eastern Lake Superior over relevant spatial and temporal timescales to address a number of management objectives. We are interested in assessing questions around reproduction (confirming spawners in historic spawning rivers and number of spawning locations, determine spawning periodicity , assessing natal philopatry), providing advice for determining critical habitat (quantifying feeding, spawning and overwintering movements and habitats, determining home range, and identifying depth and thermal habitat preferences), and population structure (quantifying spatial overlap of different spawning populations in the lake). These questions will be addressed by implanting Lake Sturgeon with 10-yr tags, and having an acoustic array placed in strategic locations throughout Whitefish Bay.

Objectives

To determine the population structure (age, spatial distribution) of eastern Lake Superior Lake Sturgeon
To determine which of the rivers that historically supported Lake Sturgeon spawning in eastern Lake Superior are still in use and the periodicity with which they are used
To determine the critical habitats required by eastern Lake Superior Lake Sturgeon and to use this information provide advice to management on their home range including feeding, spawning, juvenile rearing and overwintering habitat requirements

Investigators

Thomas Pratt (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) - thomas.pratt@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
William Gardner (Fisheries And Oceans Canada)
Lisa O'connor (Fisheries And Oceans Canada)
Stephen Chong (Ontario Ministry Of Natural Resources And Forestry)
Joshua Schloesser (United States Fish And Wildlife Service)

Participating Organizations

Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
United States Fish and Wildlife Service

Publications

Pratt, T.C., Gardner, W.M., Pearce, J., Greenwood, S., Chong, S.C., 2014. Identification of a robust Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens Rafinesque, 1917) population in Goulais Bay, Lake Superior. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 30, 1328-1334.