1. Montana McLean, Mike Stokesbury, Mike Dadswell Acadia University
Movement, habitat use and diet of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) in Minas Basin, Bay of Fundy
Montana McLean, Mike Stokesbury, Mike Dadswell
Acadia University

2. Objectives: To attempt to define critical feeding areas, migratory corridors, and environmental preferences of Atlantic sturgeon in the Minas Basin, through gut analysis and fine-scale movement patterns
Fig. 1. VR2W passive acoustic receiver placement during Atlantic sturgeon tagging study (n= 32)and 2011 (n= 39) receiver locations are shown.

3. Preliminary Results Year Receivers deployed Tags deployed
Tags detected in 2010
Detection % 2010
Tags detected in 2011(so far)
Detection % 2011
2010 32 30 28
93 % 23
76%
2011 39 53 42
79%
Knowledge gaps exist in oceanic biology of Atlantic sturgeon, including information about summer aggregation grounds in Canadian waters such as Minas Basin
Population is a mixed aggregation of individuals from river systems along Eastern seaboard of North America
It is important to understand all life history stages and critical habitats
Tagging data shows a high return rate to Minas Basin each summer by individuals; including returns from sturgeon tagged in St John River, New Brunswick by Matt Litvak et al.
Atlantic sturgeon are presumably using Minas Basin as critical summer feeding ground
Environmental preference data is currently being analyzed

4. Networking and Integration
We have greatly expanded our scientific reach while not deviating from our priorities.
International:
Presentations at the NOAA sturgeon workshop in Alexandria Virginia, USA (Stokesbury et al. and Wirgin et al.) providing information central to the US decision as to whether they should list Atlantic sturgeon and endangered.
Nationally:
Kim Robichaud (DFO) solicited input from our research group as a basis for a DFO stock status report for Atlantic sturgeon in the Maritime Provinces.
OTNC sturgeon project has had impacts at the regulatory level (i.e. Tidal Power impacts)
HQP transfer has occurred between the OTNC sturgeon project and OTN Pacific (see above, Beardall’s tenure with Cooke’s lab) and between OTN Atlantic oceanography projects.
OTN Canada sturgeon project has positively impacted other projects as we have gained tracking information on Spiny Dogfish (Campana, DFO), striped bass and American eels (Broome and Redden, Acadia) The Saint John array has also served other researchers tracking fish on the on the Saint John River (i.e., Rod Bradford (DFO) and Allen Curry (UNB).
We have formed new collaborations with UPEI Veterinary school (Dr. Fast, parasites), New York University (Dr. Wirgin, Microsatellites DNA) and the USGS (Dr. King, mitochondrial DNA).

5. Movement patterns of Atlantic sturgeon from the Saint John River
Andrew Taylor and Matthew Litvak
Department of Biology
Mount Allison University

6. Wildlife Computers PSAT
Objectives
Large and fine scale movement patterns
Ultrasonic telemetry
Define habitat use
Depth
Substrate
Timing of exit
Coastal movement
Including characterization of potential spawning sites and holding areas
Depth, temperature, O2 concentration, salinity and substrate preferences
MUST INDICATE THAT IT IS FROM THE SJR
VEMCO V16 Coded Tag
Wildlife Computers PSAT

7. Results Atlantic sturgeon utilized lower river reaches
No daily patterns observed
Habitat selection to a mean depth of 5-7 meters and sandy substrates
Exit from river primarily from late July to late September
Coastal migration to the Minas Basin in summer months
Industrialization: eg. Building of hotels along edge of river… sediment into water changes the substrate composition
Exit from river: movement speeds and tidal influence observed: can be better verified using our VPS data

8. Results continued and more to be processed
VPS data analysis
Fine scale movement patterns
7 Wildlife Computers PSAT’s
Coastal movement
Determining potential spawning site
Ultrasonic tracking data
We caught 4 Atlantic sturgeon larvae
These are the first to ever be caught on the Saint John River.
D-frame larval net
Add picture of AS w/
Atlantic sturgeon larvae

9. Collaborations generated through OTN
Stokesbury and Dadswell’s labs are providing blood samples and results from their gut analysis so that we can develop a stable isotope approach to define diets from blood samples of Atlantic sturgeon (Litvak NSERC Strategic)
This will help better describe their coastal movements and diet selection.

10. Collaborations generated through OTN
Litvak’s lab is helping Taggart and his graduate student Broell to investigate the relationship between size-at-time and acceleration.
Will determine if acceleration within species is a function of size-at-age.
This will allow us to examine growth rates in the wild.
Taylor (Litvak’s graduate student) and Franziska Broell (Taggart’s graduate student).

11. Collaborations outside OTN
NSERC strategic work on using Stable Isotopes signatures to define:
Movements of Atlantic sturgeon (Michael Power, Waterloo)
Diets of First Nation peoples 3000 years BP (Sue Blair, UNBF and the Metepenagiag First Nation)
Started to develop connections with
Eel ground First Nation to examine movement of Atlantic’s in and near the Miramichi River
Fort Folly First Nations to help with the movement and potential of re-colonization of Atlantic sturgeon in the Petitcodiac River.
Metepenagiag
First Nation