Abstract
A telemetry study was conducted on lake sturgeon to determine the seasonal use and environmental factors that stimulate movement within a tributary of a larger system. Over a 10-year period, 52 lake sturgeon implanted with acoustic transmitters were monitored through an array of Vemco receivers with the Blanche River, Ontario. An average of 68% of the tagged fish entered the tributary annually whereas only 19.2% of those were detected on known spawning areas approximately 54 km upstream. Water temperature, lunar phase, lake water level, presumed spawning fish, and water discharge were all considered significant variables associated with the onset of upstream migration. Water temperature (mean 12.9 °C) was the only variable that explained the timing and the arrival at the spawning grounds. Sturgeon remained at the spawning area for a mean duration 7.9 days; however, none of the variables examined explained the duration of stay. Water temperature was the only variable that explained departure from the spawning areas (mean 15.8 °C). Mean time spent in the river after spawning was 30.5 days. There was not a significant difference in sex or total length in relationship to the duration tagged fish stayed in the river after spawning. The entire Blanche River up to the insuperable rapids was used by the sturgeon with the exception of minor tributaries. Water temperature, river discharge, and fish size were all considered significant factors initiating out-migration back into the lake. This study demonstrated the importance and seasonal use of a tributary by lake sturgeon. Correlations from abiotic variable and seasonal response could be used to establish guidelines for water management purposes when the goal is to conserve or restore sturgeon populations within a river system. This study also illustrates the importance of tributaries in association to a larger waterbody for lake sturgeon.
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Data is available from the authors upon reasonable request.
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Code for GLMs is available from the authors upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
This study took place on lands that have been occupied by Indigenous Peoples for thousands of years and are located within the geographic boundary of Robinson-Huron Treaty territory. We would like to acknowledge the close relationship Indigenous Peoples have with the fishery resource from time immemorial and continues today.
We are especially grateful to the field staff that were integral to completing this project. Of particular note, the project would not have been possible if not for the field proficiencies and trouble-shooting skills provided by Derek Elliott, Michael Pratt, Tim Purdy, Shaun Walker, Craig Fuller, Leah Marinigh, Michel Rainville, Ashley Elliott, Christine Terwissen, Charlene Binkley, Don Crawford, Shamus Snell, Lisa McShane, and John McInnis of the Kirkland Lake District. We would also like to thank Charles Hendry and Bill Armstrong for their guidance and advice; Larry Ferguson and Emily Gryck for their roles in early project design; Mike Friday, Biodiversity and Monitoring Section for his review; the myriad other staff and students that assisted in the field; and the Kirkland Lake District, the Northeast Region, and the Aquatic Science and Monitoring Section of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry for their support on this project.
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Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry.
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McDonald, L., Haxton, T. Spatiotemporal use of a tributary by lake sturgeon over a 10-year period. Environ Biol Fish 106, 853–874 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-022-01384-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-022-01384-9