Reviving the Lake Sturgeon in the Lake Champlain Watershed Sarah Donelson Nick Costello Catriona Brosius Devon Snyder Articles/2009/Jan-photos/WLW-TheCaseoftheVanishingSturgeon_126C2- LakeSturgeon780_thumb.jpg

Problem Statement Many human-induced environmental factors such as habitat degradation, introduction of invasive species, and historic fishing pressures have lead to the decline of the lake sturgeon population within the Lake Champlain basin.

Goal/Purpose Research and compile information about lake sturgeon in the Lake Champlain watershed Determine primary stressors Make recommendations based on gathered data

Objectives 1.) Assess the feasibility of improving the lake sturgeon stocking program in Lake Champlain 2.) Understand negative effects of predatory and competitive species on lake sturgeon 3.) Identify historical densities, locations, and uses of lake sturgeon 4.) Based on current and historical occurrence of lake sturgeon, understand how habitat loss has affected the Lake Champlain population

It is an ancient family of fish: having been around since the Upper Cretaceous period (136 million years ago) w/43xx/432x/4321_Hooked_Monster_Fish_of_America-01_ JPG

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Can grow to over 7 ft long and over 300 pounds sap,%2520etc..

Fishing History Early 1800: sturgeon viewed as nuisance species Mid-Late 1800: heavily fished 1900 – 1970: little known, other than that populations all over were declining jpg&imgrefurl= Vy92Z2G7qAV7nEyoxKk=&h=1050&w=800&sz=236&hl=en&start=4&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=7FvG nlsw5daVIM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=114&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlake%2Bsturgeon%2Babenaki%26 um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1

Life cycle Sexual maturity is reached at ages 14 to 33 for females, and ages 12 to 22 for males Females spawn once every 4 to 9 years Males spawn once every 2 to 7 years Spawning occurs on clean, gravel shoals usually below the first large rapid or dam Life span can reach around 55 years for males and 80 to 150 years for females

Habitat Loss

Requirements of Spawning Grounds Temperature between 6.6˚ and 16˚ C Water Depth between 2 and 15 Ft Water Velocity between 1.6 and 3.5 Ft/Sec Substrate consisting of mostly gravel and cobbles

Current Suitable Sturgeon Habitat in VT Missisquoi River Lamoille River Winooski River

Spawning Process Sturgeon find appropriate spawning grounds Lay eggs which adhere to rocks 7 to 13 days later, eggs hatch Fry drift for sometimes even a few kilometers before landing in spaces between rocks on the river bed

Relationship Between Adult Length and Total Migration Distance (Auer 1996)

Dams Sturgeon cannot jump Dams and Natural Waterfalls affect their ability to find suitable spawning areas Although they can swim over 1,000 kilometers, stream obstructions make this impossible

Swanton Dam in Swanton Vermont Located on the Missisquoi River Restored in 1960’s Highland Falls, upstream of Swanton Dam Potentially harmful to the spawning process Images from:

Invasive and Nuisance Species Sea Lamprey Zebra Mussels

Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) Parisitic Direct and indirect mortality of trout Lake sturgeon mortality?

Lamprey and Sturgeon Locations and frequency of sea lamprey attachments on four class sizes of lake sturgeon Fork Length (FL)

Class SizeDirect Mortality (%) Indirect Mortality (%) I11 II3119 III88 IV00 Effects of Parasitism Direct and indirect mortality Class IV : all survived Smaller, young sturgeon most affected Above a 650 mm FL, “lethality from a sea lamprey attack declines substanitally” (Patrick et al. 2009)

Sea Lamprey Control Strategies Barriers Trapping adults Lampricide during larval stage: 3-triflouromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) Minimum lethal concentration (MLC) No-observable effect concentration (NOEC) Effect on young sturgeon

TFM Toxicity

Zebra Mussels Mussels cover hard and soft sediments Affect sturgeon feeding Block access to invertebrates in sand The foraging habits of lake sturgeon in a controlled environment. Black: 95% zebra mussel cover treatment, Grey: 50% mussel cover White: bare sand.

Zebra Mussel Young-of-the-year sturgeon Sandy bottom preferred Zebra mussel cover avoided Observations of sturgeon in various habitat types.

Nuisance species: summary Lamprey parasitism: mortality in juvenile sturgeon Lampricide: mortality in juveniles Zebra mussles: (-) block access to food for juvenile sturgeon (+) Food source for adults

Stocking g=__PfD1Z3G3C4AiiNtRDX0Ice_XKY=&h=300&w=400&sz=29&hl=en&start=43&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=7eOdi307NEg4GM:&tbnh=93&t bnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dstocking%2Bfish%26start%3D36%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefoxa%26sa%3DN%26rls %3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26ndsp%3D18%26tbs%3Disch:1

Stocking Issues Introduction of new genetic strains Healthier stocked populations Competition Hybridization or Outbreeding Depression

Stocking Feasibility Study conducted for Lake Champlain in 1994 Natural reproduction would not be enough Suggested stocking A 1995 review group gathered to evaluate plan Suggested a survey of current population be conducted before stocking implementation Still collecting data in Vermont with no stocking plan in place

New York Stocking Program Occurring in selected tributaries of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario Limited data currently available

Recommendations Continue monitoring and collecting data but at this point, do not stock in Lake Champlain Lower concentrations of lampricide, use TFM-niclosamide Removal of habitat obstacles If eventually it is possible to stock with the native genome, then establish a stocking program

Acknowledgments Thanks to: Ellen Marsden of UVM Chet MacKenzie of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department Louise and Larry Lampman of the Missisquoi Abenaki

ORDER Introduce Paper -Nick Problem Statement -Nick Goal/Purpose -Devon Objectives -Catriona History -Nick Habitat Loss -Catriona Invasives -Devon Stocking -Sarah Recommendations -Sarah Acknowledgments -Sarah

Literature Cited Auer, Nancy A. “Importance of Habitat and Migration to Sturgeons with Emphasis on Lake Sturgeon.” Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 53.1 (1996): Web. 22 Mar Baker, Chris Case for removing the swanton dam and restoring fish passage. Lake Barth, C.C.; Peake, S.J.; Allen, P.J.; Anderson, W.G. “Habitat Utilization of Juvenile Lake Sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens, in a Large Canadian River.” Journal of Applied Ichthyology 25.2 (2009): Web. 19 Mar Boogaard, Michael A., Terry D. Bills, David A. Johnson Acute toxicity of TFM and a TFM/Niclosamide mixtre to selected species of fish, including Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvenscens) and mudpuppies (Necturus maculosus), in laboratory and field exposures. Journal of Great Lakes Research 29(Supplement 1): Bowers, M. George. Report of the Commissioner, United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries Washington. Champlain International.. Christie, G. C., J. V. Adams, T. B. Steeves, J. W. Slade, D. W.Cuddy, M. F. Fodale, R. J. Young, M. Kuc, and M. L. Jones Selecting Great Lakes streams for lampricide treatment ased on larval sea lamprey surveys. Journal of Great Lakes Research 29(Supplement 1):152–160. Conservation Ethers, James Missisquoi – Swanton Revitalization. Petition.. Lake Sturgeon Restocking Program Considered. Harbor Watch Lake Sturgeon Restoration. New York State Department of Environmental Laroche, Wayne. “Remove the Swanton Dam: Bring Back The Fish.” Commissioner, VT Department of Fish and Wildlife. Accessed via: 21 Mar Lyttle, Madeline. “Spawning Habitat Suitability for Walleye and Lake Sturgeon in the Missisquoi River.” Fishery Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. Accessed via: on 21 Mar

Continued Lake Sturgeon Restoration. New York State Department of Environmental Laroche, Wayne. “Remove the Swanton Dam: Bring Back The Fish.” Commissioner, VT Department of Fish and Wildlife. Accessed via: 21 Mar Lyttle, Madeline. “Spawning Habitat Suitability for Walleye and Lake Sturgeon in the Missisquoi River.” Fishery Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. Accessed via: on 21 Mar McCabe, D.J., M.A. Beekey, A. Mazloff, and J.E. Marsden Negative effect of zebra mussels on foraging and habitat use by lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens). Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 16: Moreau, D. L. and D. L. Parrish A study of the feasibility of restoring lake Champlain Patrick, Holly K., Trent M. Sutton, and William D. Swink Lethality of sea lamprey parasitism on lake sturgeon. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 138: Peterson, Douglas L.; Vecsei, Paul; Jennings, Cecil A. “Ecology and Biology of the Lake Sturgeon: A Synthesis of Current Knowledge of a Threatened North American Acipenseridae.” Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 17 (2007) web. 20 Mar Stone, Livingstone “On the spawing habits of lake sturgeon”. Biennial report of the Fish Commissioners of the State of Vermont. Vol sturgeon to Lake Champlain. Technical Report No. 9. Lake Champlain Basin Program, Grand Isle, VT. Zerrenner, Adam and J. Ellen Marsden Comparison of larval sea lamprey life history characteristics in a lampricide-treated tributary and untreated tributary system of Lake Champlain. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 135:

Works Cited Slides 17, 18, and 21: Photo and graphic: Sea lamprey and sea lamprey life cycle. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Slide 18: Photo: Sea lamprey. Minnesota Sea Grant. Slide 19: Image: Sturgeon size classes. Patrick, Holly et al. Lethality of sea lamprey parasitism on lake sturgeon American Fisheries Society. Slide 19: Image: Fish measurements. Slide 17: Photo: Zebra mussels. Slide 22, 23: Zebra mussel effects on sturgeon and Sturgeon habitat type chart. McCabe, D.J., M.A. Beekey, A. Mazloff, and J.E. Marsden Negative effect of zebra mussels on foraging and habitat use by lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens). Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 16: Slide 24: Photo: Juvenile Sturgeon. Slide 25: McDonald, Gordon D. and Cynthia S. Kolar Research and Guide the Use of Lampricides for controlling Sea Lamprey. Journal of Great Lakes Research. 33(sp 2):20-34.