Reviving the Lake Sturgeon in the Lake Champlain Watershed

1. Reviving the Lake Sturgeon in the Lake Champlain Watershed Sarah Donelson Nick Costello Catriona Brosius Devon Snyder http://www.thousandislandslife.com/Portals/Properties/images/News-Articles/2009/Jan-photos/WLW-TheCaseoftheVanishingSturgeon_126C2-LakeSturgeon780_thumb.jpg

2. 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.

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

4. 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

5. It is an ancient family of fish: having been around since the Upper Cretaceous period (136 million years ago) http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGC/StaticFiles/Images/Show/43xx/432x/4321_Hooked_Monster_Fish_of_America-01_04700300.JPG

6. http://vindyame2008.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/dinosaur-printable-invitation2.jpghttp://vindyame2008.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/dinosaur-printable-invitation2.jpghttp://vindyame2008.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/dinosaur-printable-invitation2.jpghttp://vindyame2008.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/dinosaur-printable-invitation2.jpg http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/images/2007/06/13/dinosaur.jpg

7. Can grow to over 7 ft long and over 300 pounds http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bethelhistorical.org/Indians%2520boiling%2520sap,%2520etc..

8. 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=http://www.bethelhistorical.org/A_River%27s_Journey.html&usg=__QzzvDWF-Vy92Z2G7qAV7nEyoxKk=&h=1050&w=800&sz=236&hl=en&start=4&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=7FvGnlsw5daVIM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=114&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlake%2Bsturgeon%2Babenaki%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1

9. 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 http://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity/phenology/2003/lake_sturgeon2003_01_gf.jpg

10. Habitat Loss

11. Requirementsof 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

12. CurrentSuitable Sturgeon Habitat in VT • Missisquoi River • Lamoille River • Winooski River

13. 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

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

15. 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

16. 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: http://www.lciderby.com/userfiles/swanton-dam.jpg

17. Invasive and Nuisance Species • Sea Lamprey • Zebra Mussels

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

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

20. 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)

21. 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

22. TFM Toxicity

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

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

25. 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

26. Stocking http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.fws.gov/ennis/images/fish_stocking_400.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.fws.gov/ennis/&usg=__PfD1Z3G3C4AiiNtRDX0Ice_XKY=&h=300&w=400&sz=29&hl=en&start=43&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=7eOdi307NEg4GM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=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

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

28. 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

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

30. 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

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

32. 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

33. 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): 152-160. Web. 22 Mar. 2010. • Baker, Chris. 2007. 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, Acipenserfulvescens, in a Large Canadian River.” Journal of Applied Ichthyology 25.2 (2009): 18-26. Web. 19 Mar. 2010. • Boogaard, Michael A., Terry D. Bills, David A. Johnson. 2003. Acute toxicity of TFM and a TFM/Niclosamidemixtre to selected species of fish, including Lake Sturgeon (Acipenserfulvenscens) and mudpuppies (Necturusmaculosus), in laboratory and field exposures. Journal of Great Lakes Research 29(Supplement 1):529-541. • Bowers, M. George. Report of the Commissioner, United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries. 1905. Washington. Champlain International. <http://www.lciderby.com>. • 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.. 2003. Selecting Great Lakes streams for lampricide treatment ased on larval sea lamprey surveys. Journal of Great Lakes Research 29(Supplement 1):152–160. • Conservation. 2010. <http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/26045.html>. • Ethers, James. 2009. Missisquoi – Swanton Revitalization. Petition. <http://www.PetitionOnline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?swanton9>. • Lake Sturgeon Restocking Program Considered. Harbor Watch. 2009. <http://www.harborwatch.com/news/sturgeon.htm>. • 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. Accessedvia: <http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/calendaritems/Swanton_Dam.pdf> 21 Mar. 2010. • Lyttle, Madeline. “Spawning Habitat Suitability for Walleye and Lake Sturgeon in the Missisquoi River.” Fishery Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. Accessed via: <http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/library/Reports_and_Documents/Fish_and_Wildlife/Spawning_Habitat_Suitability_for_Walleye_and_Lake_Sturgeon_in_the_Missisquoi_River.pdf> on 21 Mar. 2010.

34. 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. Accessedvia: <http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/calendaritems/Swanton_Dam.pdf> 21 Mar. 2010. • Lyttle, Madeline. “Spawning Habitat Suitability for Walleye and Lake Sturgeon in the Missisquoi River.” Fishery Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. Accessed via: <http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/library/Reports_and_Documents/Fish_and_Wildlife/Spawning_Habitat_Suitability_for_Walleye_and_Lake_Sturgeon_in_the_Missisquoi_River.pdf> on 21 Mar. 2010. • McCabe, D.J., M.A. Beekey, A. Mazloff, and J.E. Marsden. 2006. Negative effect of zebra mussels on foraging and habitat use by lake sturgeon (Acipenserfulvescens). Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 16:493-500.  • Moreau, D. L. and D. L. Parrish. 1994. A study of the feasibility of restoring lake Champlain • Patrick, Holly K., Trent M. Sutton, and William D. Swink. 2009. Lethality of sea lamprey parasitism on lake sturgeon. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 138:1065-1075. • 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) 59-76 web. 20 Mar. 2010. • Stone, Livingstone. 1901. “On the spawing habits of lake sturgeon”. Biennial report of the Fish Commissioners of the State of Vermont. Vol. 11-18. • sturgeon to Lake Champlain. Technical Report No. 9. Lake Champlain Basin Program, Grand Isle, VT. • Zerrenner, Adam and J. Ellen Marsden. 2006. 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 135:1301-1311.

35. Works Cited Slides 17, 18, and 21: Photo and graphic: Sea lamprey and sea lamprey life cycle. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6998.html Slide 18: Photo: Sea lamprey. Minnesota Sea Grant. http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/ais/sealamprey_battle Slide 19: Image: Sturgeon size classes. Patrick, Holly et al. Lethality of sea lamprey parasitism on lake sturgeon. 2009. American Fisheries Society. Slide 19: Image: Fish measurements. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Education/Diagrams/FishDimensions.html Slide 17: Photo: Zebra mussels. http://www.geog.ubc.ca/courses/geog471/classof08/aisca/intro.html 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. 2006. Negative effect of zebra mussels on foraging and habitat use by lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens). Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 16:493-500.  Slide 24: Photo: Juvenile Sturgeon. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bayviewcompass/2888180529/ Slide 25: McDonald, Gordon D. and Cynthia S. Kolar. 2007. Research and Guide the Use of Lampricides for controlling Sea Lamprey. Journal of Great Lakes Research. 33(sp 2):20-34.